Importing Rice into Canada

Importers have contacted us with many questions relating to importing rice into Canada, such as what are the license requirements, or what are the taxes? Purchasing food internationally for import into Canada for human consumption can seem like an intimidating venture so here’s some helpful info to assist.

Rice has been cultivated for thousands of years and is a food staple for more than 3 billion people around the world. Businesses have to import rice as Canada doesn’t grow enough rice to satisfy domestic demand. With Canada planning to increase immigration, the coming years will see an increase in the quantities of rice being imported.

Demand for Rice in Canada

According to 2021 numbers published by the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), Canada imported $366 million worth of rice. These shipments came predominantly from the US, Thailand (jasmine rice), and India (basmati rice). The Canadian government has pledged to increase immigration to combat labour shortages in the coming years. This increase will lead to a larger population that has rice as a pillar of their diet and create greater demand for the product.

Types of Rice

Basmati rice is a popular variety of long grain rice that is typically produced in Asia. India and Pakistan dominate international trade in basmati rice. Similarly, jasmine rice is also of the long grain variety, however, Thailand is the major producer. 

Requirements to Import Rice

To import rice into Canada for sale, importers would require a business number, also known as an importer number. This number is issued by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Information on how to register can be found here. Once that is in place, the next requirement is an SFC license. The license is issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and must be obtained prior to importing the rice into Canada. Importers can find registration information here.