FTAs help Thailand become world’s top exporter of rice-flour snacks
Thailand has become the world’s top exporter of rice-flour snacks after shipping out more than 13 billion tonnes worth US$41 million (Bt1.3 billion) in the first four months of this year, the Department of Trade Negotiations said.
The biggest buyers of the processed food were Asean countries.
Auramon Supthaweethum, director general of the department under Commerce Ministry, said snacks made from rice flour, such as crackers, biscuits and cookies, in Thailand are fast becoming popular thanks to the innovative processing method used and high-quality raw materials.
Thailand is now the top exporter of rice-flour snacks followed by Germany and Sweden.
In 2019, Thailand exported more than 42 billion tonnes of these snacks worth $129 million, and demand has risen because consumers have developed a preference for products made from natural ingredients.
From January to April this year, Thailand exported more than 13 billion tonnes of rice-flour snacks worth $41 million, up 9 per cent from the same period last year.
This boost in trade has been put down to free-trade agreements (FTA) that the Kingdom has signed with 17 countries, including nine Asean members, as well as with China, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Hong Kong, Chile and Peru.
Thailand’s FTA with Japan will go into effect from May 2022.
