The Foreign Trade Department has given an assurance that the country will export at least 7.5 million tonnes of rice by the end of the year after reaching its target of 3.8 million tonnes in the first half of the year.

The department's deputy director-general, Vichak Visetnoi, said Thai rice exports were "doing well" in the world market. Although the price of Thai jasmine rice may be higher than others, it is still very much in demand, he said.

In the first half of the year, Thailand exported 1.3 million tonnes of jasmine rice, worth US$497 million, or Bt18.9 billion.

Vichak said that the 3.8 million tonnes of all varieties of rice exported so far this year were worth $1.24 billion. The average price is steadily rising, standing now at $325 a tonne compared to $308 last year.

"Many are worried that the Vietnamese might surpass Thailand in rice exports. But the demand for Thai white rice in the world market has risen. And the Thai jasmine rice is priced more than US$500 a tonne at the moment," he said.

In spite of the higher price, foreigners are taking to Thai jasmine rice. The ministry is also doing its bit to promote Thai jasmine rice products.

He said that the department planned to promote it in countries and territories including China, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the US and through Thai restaurants worldwide.

Meanwhile, Dow Jones Newswires has reported from Manila that Asean and three North East Asian countries might expand their emergency regional rice reserves.

"An emergency rice reserve being maintained by [Asean] plus China, Japan and South Korea, or Asean+3, could be expanded

further to around 500,000 metric tonnes this year," a senior Philippine official said yesterday.

The East Asia Emergency Rice Reserve is intended for use in the region during calamities, such as the December 2004 tsunami.

Gregorio Tan, administrator of the Philippine's National Food Authority, said Seoul had indicated it could contribute up to 150,000 tonnes of rice to the reserve.

 "South Korea's commitment may be finalised in October, when officials from Asean+3 are

scheduled to meet," said Tan, who is currently in charge of the reserve.

The reserve currently stands at 337,000 tonnes, following a commitment made by Japan last year to contribute 250,000 tonnes.

Some countries in the region are at various stages in their consultations to determine their allocation for the reserve, Tan said earlier.

Pilot implementation of the emergency reserve program began in January last year and will end in 2007, after which agriculture ministers from the regions are likely to adopt the program on a permanent basis, he added.