Thai rice exports beat rivals
Thailand was the top rice exporter in the world during the first four months of this year, shipping out 3.31 million tonnes of the grain to overtake rivals such as India, Vietnam and Pakistan.
Thai rice exports peaked in 2017 at 11.6 million tonnes while the export target for 2018 is 10 million tonnes, according to the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) at the Ministry of Commerce.
White rice made up the bulk of Thai rice exports (48.7 per cent), followed by sticky rice (27.7 per cent) and Thai Jasmine rice (16.2 per cent).
“Almost all Thai rice exports fetched higher prices in April, while Thai Jasmine rice was stable at US$1,150 per tonne,” said DITP director general Adul Chotinisakorn. “The export trend for the second quarter of 2018 is also positive due to higher demand from many rice-importing countries, including China, the Philippines and Indonesia.”
