Thai rice body urges government to focus on new rice strains

The Thai Rice Exporters Association is calling on the new government to avoid manipulating rice market prices and instead focus on the strategic production of new rice varieties. Chookiat Ophaswongse, the association’s honorary president, emphasised the importance of developing new rice strains to maintain competitiveness with other exporting nations.

“This is crucial for the future of Thai rice. Following roadshows and discussions in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, we found they are very concerned about prices. Efforts to reduce costs for farmers, increase yield and develop soft-textured rice varieties that align with market demand are paramount. Other exporting nations have made significant progress in R&D, resulting in rice strains that are competitive with Thai rice.”

Chookiat also stressed the need for government intervention in…