Record rice exports help lift producer prices in Brazil

Brazilian rice exports reached a record 1.1 million metric tons in the first half of 2026, up 83% from the same period last year, according to data released by the Brazilian Rice Industry Association, Abiarroz, based on figures from the country’s Secretariat of Foreign Trade – Secex.

The surge in overseas shipments has helped ease excess supply in the domestic market, creating room for a gradual recovery in prices paid to growers, said Denis Dias Nunes, president of Federarroz, the federation representing rice producers’ associations in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s leading rice-producing state.

Datamar containerized cargo data show that Brazil exported 4,854 TEUs of rice in the January-May period, up 58.7% year over year. The chart below provides an overview of the figures recorded in recent years:

Rice Exports | Jan 2023 – May 2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

On Tuesday, July 14, the Cepea/Irga-RS indicator for paddy rice stood at R$63.30 per 50-kilogram bag, up 5.1% since the beginning of July. Prices have risen 18.4% since the start of 2026.

“The strong pace of exports provided growers with liquidity and allowed them to direct part of their production overseas, preventing excessive supply in the domestic market,” Nunes said.

He added that government-backed mechanisms designed to support the movement and sale of the crop had also helped improve producer returns.

Foreign markets absorbed a significant share of available supplies during the first half of the year, leaving Brazil with a rice trade surplus of approximately 400,000 metric tons.

“We expect Brazil to export around 2 million metric tons over the course of 2026, resulting in one of the country’s largest rice trade surpluses in recent years,” Nunes said.

The impact is already beginning to show in the domestic market, he added.

“Prices have started to recover, and we expect that upward trend to continue over the coming months as a result of the work carried out to expand sales channels for the crop during the first half of the year.”

Nunes expects conditions across Brazil’s rice supply chain to improve further in the second half.

“Price movements will depend primarily on the performance of the U.S. crop and production in Asian countries, which are already being affected by El Niño,” he said.

Source: Globo Rural

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