Thailand to retain world rice export championship

BANGKOK, July 26 (TNA) - The Ministry of Commerce has insisted that Thailand can retain its status as the world’s No. one rice exporter although the Kingdom now focuses on selling quality rice with higher prices. Permanent Secretary for Commerce Yanyong Puangraj expressed no worries Thrusday to recent comments that Thailand had lost its rice export championship to become the world's third largest rice exporter, explaining that the remarks were based on short-term statistics, and that the Thai government has changed its rice trade policy to raise rice prices for the sake of local farmers. Yanyong acknowledged that in the future, the Thai government will keep focusing on selling quality rice, instead of emphasizing on quantity, affirming, however, that Thailand is believed to remain the world’s largest rice exporter. Regarding Thailand’s trade deficit worth over 10 billion US dollars in the first half of this year, Yanyong said it is not a concern as well, as it has resulted from local business operators' imports of raw materials and machinery to produce their products for exports over the next four months. At a workshop on the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) organized in Bangkok Thursday, the Thai Ministry of Commerce, meanwhile, proposed that Thailand and other ASEAN rice exporting countries, including Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, join hands on rice trade, as the countries have served two-thirds of the world's total rice demand and they should quote rice prices in accordance with quality of the grains, instead of competing with one another, the cooperation of which is believed to help boost rice prices on the world market and benefit their farmers. (TNA)