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Highlights

LDC is a world leader in the merchandizing of rice, a crucial staple that provides more than a fifth of the calories consumed by people worldwide

How it’s made: Rice

Merchandizer

LDC is one of the top 3 private rice traders globally.

Distributor

We are one of the leading rice distributors in Africa by volume.

Supplier

We supply paddy, brown and milled rice, mainly from Asia and South America.

About Rice

Approximately 488 million tons of rice are grown annually around the world. Asia accounts for around 90% of global rice production, 85% of global demand and 75% of the world’s exportable surplus.

Most rice is consumed as white rice (husked and polished), however rice flour is becoming popular with bakers as a gluten-free starch alternative, and rice milling by-products include bran, oil and starch.

Thailand, India and Vietnam are the world’s top three rice exporters, followed by the US, Pakistan, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil and Myanmar. Africa accounts for approximately one third of global demand.

Our Rice Value Chain

Each of our business lines is integrating further across the five steps of our value chain, as we respond to the need for a traceable and responsible supply line from farmer to consumer

01Originate & Produce

01Originate & Produce

We share our expertise with farmers and producers worldwide, ourselves or with business partners and expert organizations, as part of our commitment to responsible, sustainable and traceable supply chains

02Process & Refine

02Process & Refine

Once bought or harvested, we bring crops to our assets for the next stage in their journey. These are ethically and sustainably processed and refined, coming one step closer to the consumer.

03Store & Transport

03Store & Transport

Our strategically located network of silos, warehouses, transloading facilities and ports allows us facilitate access to market for local farmers around the globe and enable us to control costs and mitigate risk throughout the product journey

04Research & Merchandize

04Research & Merchandize

Our depth of marketing and merchandizing experience is our greatest strength. All our platforms and regions rely on our market knowledge to ensure responsive supply.

05Customize & Distribute

05Customize & Distribute

We supply products to a wide range of customers, from large multinationals to local manufacturers and retailers

01Originate & Produce

01Originate & Produce

We share our expertise with farmers and producers worldwide, ourselves or with business partners and expert organizations, as part of our commitment to responsible, sustainable and traceable supply chains

02Process & Refine

02Process & Refine

Once bought or harvested, we bring crops to our assets for the next stage in their journey. These are ethically and sustainably processed and refined, coming one step closer to the consumer.

03Store & Transport

03Store & Transport

Our strategically located network of silos, warehouses, transloading facilities and ports allows us facilitate access to market for local farmers around the globe and enable us to control costs and mitigate risk throughout the product journey

04Research & Merchandize

04Research & Merchandize

Our depth of marketing and merchandizing experience is our greatest strength. All our platforms and regions rely on our market knowledge to ensure responsive supply.

05Customize & Distribute

05Customize & Distribute

We supply products to a wide range of customers, from large multinationals to local manufacturers and retailers

Our Strengths

A highly experienced and diverse team, and our top-rate market research, are the foundations of our leading position in rice merchandizing.

Relying on our extensive global network, we work to meet increasing demand driven by steep population growth and urbanization. Leveraging LDC’s ocean freight capabilities, the Rice Platform serves a growing global market with competitively priced, quality products.

We are committed to upholding both industry best practices and our own strong risk management principles and standards in our rice origination, trading, sales and distribution activities.

We continue to expand our activities in Africa to consolidate our position as a leading supplier in the region.

Committed to Sustainable Rice

LDC is a leading purchaser of Asian rice, mostly in bulk from wholesalers and local traders. In 2019, we took steps to review and understand potential labor and human rights issues in our rice supply chains, working with relevant stakeholders in Thailand and Vietnam.

In Africa, we are working with partners to support smallholder rice farmers to increase their competitiveness and gain access to the domestic market.

A project with the Louis Dreyfus Foundation was established in 2018, with the aim of developing a sustainable supply chain from smallholder rice farmers in Boundiali, in northern Côte d’Ivoire. By connecting rice producers with processors, and then processors with the market, an inclusive, traceable and sustainable supply chain was built, helping the area’s rice sector transition from subsistence farming to small scale commercial agriculture.

Farmers are segmented into ’emerging producers’ and ‘agri-preneurs’ (market-oriented farmers) to offer support tailored to their production profile and ensure rice production for both self consumption and sale on the local market.

The project has since grown, and in 2021 continued to support more than 3,600 farmers. An ongoing production strategy is being developed in collaboration with farmers themselves and with local stakeholders.

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