Authority denies US quarantine of Thai rice

BANGKOK, June 28 (TNA) - Deputy Commerce Minister Nattawut Saikua has denied recent reports that the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has ordered all port operators and importers nationwide to quarantine Thai rice for fear of chemical contamination. Nattawut affirmed on Friday that Thailand's inquiries to the Office of Commercial Affairs in the United States, importers, the USFDA, relevant operators and the websites of the USFDA and US news agencies have found no warnings about Thai rice. Nattawut acknowledged that a major agent serving the clearance of rice at a port in Los Angeles also reported that there had been no problem with the clearance of Thai rice and its staffs had not received any warning from any US agency. According to the deputy commerce minister, a major rice importer in California also informed that Thai rice is regularly checked at the random basis and there has not been any report on Thai rice quarantined by the USFDA. The deputy commerce minister noted that the USFDA only issued an order on May 1, 2013 on thorough checks of Basmati rice from India due to contaminants from rats, insects and birds, but, as a precaution, he has instructed Thai commercial attaches in the United States and other Thai rice markets to monitor relevant developments and report findings to him regularly. During the first four months of this year, the United States had, meanwhile, imported 136,302 tonnes of Thai rice, a 7 per cent year-on-year increase. (TNA)