ID :
503338
Mon, 09/03/2018 - 14:24
Auther :

Thailand to export more organic, GAP-standard paddy to Europe

BANGKOK, September 3 (TNA) - Thailand will export more organic paddy and paddy that meets the globally-recognized Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) standard to the European market in the coming months. Boonyarit Kalayanamit, Director-General of the Department of Internal Trade, under the Thai Ministry of Commerce, told journalists on Monday that the National Rice Policy and Management Committee (NRPMC) approved at its last week's meeting to increase the country's exports of organic paddy and paddy that meets the GAP standard to the European market to 5,000 tons annually in the near future, from 2,000 tons currently. Boonyarit explained that the decision followed the NRPMC's updated review that Thailand's exports of organic paddy and GAP-standard paddy to Europe has accounted for only about 10 per cent of the quota officially approved by the European Union (EU). Besides, the NRPMC endorsed a plan on promoting Thai farmers nationwide to grow more organic and GAP-standard grains to reach an official target of about 280,000 tons toally a year by 2021, from about 60,000 tons totally a year currently. Meanwhile, Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Lak Wajananawatch said that last week's NRPMC meeting, chaired by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha himself, assigned relevant parties, including his ministry, the Ministry of Interior, Bank For Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) and the Meteorological Department, as well as the Rice Exporters Association of Thailand and the Thai Rice Mill Association, to jointly work out the country's Big Data on rice, in which comprehensive rice data and information systems are included, in order to be used for the assessment and management of the national rice market and water situation in each year more precisely. According to the deputy minister, the NRPMC meeting also projected that the total amount of Thai rice supply this year should reach about 33 tons of paddy as targeted, which should meet the total demand on the domestic and foreign markets and should maintain the prices of Thai rice to the stable level. (TNA)

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