Government to ship 100,000 tonnes of rice to China

BANGKOK, Feb 12 (TNA) -- Thailand’s Commerce Ministry is preparing to ship 100,000 tonnes of rice to China and the delivery will be made between February – March, said Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn. Ms Apiradi said the upcoming delivery of 5 per cent white rice is a second installment of part of one million tonnes deal the Thai government signed with the Beijing government in December 2015. The Chinese government earlier bought 100,000 of rice from Thailand. Under the agreement, Thai rice will be sold to the Chinese government at the world market price, she said, adding that prices of rice are competitive when compared to the Vietnamese rice which is Thailand’s major competitor. The remaining of 800,000 tonnes of rice will be delivered to China later this year while the Thai government still has another agreement to export rice amounting one million tonnes to China under a memorandum of understanding signed on December 19, 2014, said Ms Apiradi. In an attempt to assist farmers, the Thai government is preparing to persuade other major importers including Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to buy more rice from Thailand, she said. Ms Apiradi said the government will also cooperate with rice exporters to penetrate countries in the Middle East, South and Central America, and those in Africa to buy Thai rice as competition in the global market has become fierce. (TNA)