Rice exports surpassed 2 million tonnes in the first quarter with a value of 38.1 billion baht, up 29.3% year-on-year.
Ronnarong Phoolpipat, director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, said rice exports rose 18.5% year-on-year, or 321,625 tonnes to 2.06 million tonnes in the first quarter, with Iraq the top importer, accounting for 16.4% of the total, followed by Indonesia (13.1%), the US (8.62%), South Africa (8.24%) and Senegal (5.86%).
The increase was attributed to continued demand for Thai rice in Asian and African countries such as Indonesia, Bangladesh, Iraq, South Africa and Senegal. Those buyers have continued to import rice to meet…
