Thai rice exporters to discuss boosting exports with commerce minister

Leading members of the Thai Rice Exporters’ Association are seeking a meeting with Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, to discuss Thai rice exports and Thai rice’s competitiveness on the global market, after Thailand was recently pushed to the world’s third largest rice exporter by Vietnam. Despite its recent ban on rice exports, India remains in the top spot.

Chukiat Opaswongse, president of the association, said today (Tuesday) that, during the first eight months of this year, Vietnam exported 5.81 million tonnes of rice compared to Thailand’s 5.27 million.

He explained that Vietnam managed export more than Thailand because the country bought about two million tonnes of paddy from Cambodia, milled the grains and re-exported them under a Vietnamese brand, adding that Vietnam may buy up to four million tonnes of paddy from Cambodia for export.

Chukiat said that Vietnam…