Making Iraq Safe for American Rice | Dissident Voice
US Imperialism and Corporate Profits: Making Iraq Safe for American Rice
Betsy Ward, president and CEO of the USA Rice Federation, was fuming
recently when the Iraqi Grain Board (IGB) neglected, once again, to
purchase American rice from corporate behemoth Archer Daniels Midland
and opted instead for more expensive varieties from Brazil, Uruguay and
Thailand. It was the third consecutive strikeout for U.S. rice producers
in Iraq.
“The results make no sense,” said Ward, according to Politico.
“The U.S. is price competitive, the quality is excellent, the logistics
are perfect, so why would the IGB want to pay significantly more than
they have to?”
USA Rice spokesman Michael Klein told Politico that “Iraq paid $1.4 million more than it needed to get the 170,000 tons of rice it was looking to buy.”
