Ecuador Rice Industry Targets 50,000 Tons To Colombia After July 20 Route Reopening

Ecuador's rice industry expects to restart land-route exports to Colombia after July 20, with a second-half projection of around 50,000 tons that have not yet been shipped this year.

Bilateral trade has normalized without fees or tariffs for more than a month, but the rice sector is still waiting to resume land shipments.

Route Constraint

Corpcom president Juan Pablo Zuniga said June normally places 10,000 to 20,000 tons of Ecuadorian rice in Colombia.

Normal first-semester volumes are 50,000 to 60,000 tons, with roughly 20,000 tons during the first four months, another 20,000 tons in May, and 10,000 to 20,000 tons in June.

On an annual basis, Ecuador normally exports 90,000 to 120,000 tons of rice to Colombia.

Fedexpor data place rice as Ecuador's second-largest export product to Colombia, with 11% market share. The same data show 90% of rice exports to Colombia had moved by land.

What To Watch

Colombia's Decree 583 of June 5 removed mixed tariffs on Ecuadorian products, including rice, but extended the land-entry restriction for rice by 45 days, until July 20.

The restriction covers six rice subheadings. Colombia cited a 2025 CIF price for Ecuadorian white rice between USD 607 and USD 617 per ton, below 2024 levels.

The sector had intended to export at least 5,000 tons by sea in June, but shipments reached only around 1,000 tons while final monthly data were still being collected.

The operating issue is maritime logistics: higher costs than land shipments, lack of immediate vessel space, and Colombian importers' preference for lower-cost land transport.