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No rice shortage here
SACRAMENTO April 25, 2008 12:02am 
• ‘The California supply is adequate for demand’ • But wild rice is in short supply due to export pressure Some stores are limiting the amount of imported rice customers can buy, raising fears of rice shortages, which experts say appear to be ill-founded.
Rice sector agencies in California and other states emphasize there is no shortage of rice in the United States.
The California Rice Commission says there is plenty of California grown rice available at retail stores in whatever quantity consumers want to buy.
“There is not a shortage of California rice. There is an ample supply for consumers. What you are seeing with some of these club stores that are limiting some of the purchases, these are imported specialty long-grain varieties from other countries,” says Jim Morris, a spokesman for the California Rice Commission in Sacramento. “The California supply is adequate for demand.”
California rice farmers are expected to increase acreage in the state by about 3 percent this year.
Wild rice acreage in California also is expected to increase this year, according to the California Wild Rice Advisory Board.
The board estimates between 23,000 and 25,000 acres will be planted this season, up from more than 21,000 last year. The estimate is based on the amount of seed available.
But unlike domestic white rice, demand for wild rice continues to exceed supply. With the weak dollar, American products are cheaper overseas and foreign buyers continue asking for California wild rice.
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