Thai rice exports expected to reach 8.5m tonnes in 2013

BANGKOK, November 6 (TNA) - Thai rice exports are projected to reach 8.5 million tonnes in 2013, as targeted by the Ministry of Commerce, as more Thai grains will be shipped to neighbouring countries. Pranee Siriphand, Director-General of the ministry's Department of Foreign Trade, acknowledged on Monday, however, that Thailand is likely to miss the official target of 8.5 million tonnes of rice exports this year, as the actual amount of overall Thai rice exports appears to now reach only 7.3-7.5 million tonnes in 2012, worth 4.9-5 billion US dollars, because India and Vietnam have concluded more rice deals than Thailand. Pranee said that cooperation on rice trade and the maintenance of rice quality have resulted in the value of Thai rice exports amounting to at least 4 billion US dollars this year and her department has, thus, predicted the value of Thai rice exports should total 5.7 billion US dollars next year, when Thailand's rice prices on the world market should be around 650-700 US dollars per tonne on average or even higher, thanks to the improvement of the quality of Thai rice, especially fragrant rice. According to the senior official, her ministry and the local private sector will continue cooperating to promote Thai rice, especially fragrant rice, in both old and new markets overseas, but the promotion will focus on border trade with neighbouring Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, known in short as CLMV and now considered Thailand's potential markets in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in the lead-up to the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015. Meanwhile, drought in Thailand's northeastern region has affected over 50,000 rais of major jasmine rice growing areas, including those in Mahasarakham and Surin provinces; while the Ministry of Interior's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has reported severely-drought-hit norheastern Thai provinces which include Kalasin, Sakon Nakhon, Udon Thani, Bueng Kan, Nong Khai, Nong Bua Lumpoo, Mukdahan, Aumnart Charoen and Mahasarakham. (TNA)