Bumper year seen for local rice exports
Rice exports from Thailand should increase in both volume and value next year, although the quality may be affected by current flooding in the Central Region, the Rice Exporters' Association said.
Thailand would remain the world's biggest rice exporter - selling almost twice as much as closest competitor Vietnam. The association believes export volume and value would climb in 2007 thanks to higher demand and lower competition from drought-affected China and Indonesia. Association director Chanin Hansuebsai said it had set a 2007 export target of between 7.3 million and 7.5 million tonnes. Its 2006 target was 7.2 million tonnes. An association report showed exports for the first nine months of this year were 5.39 million tonnes - that is a 3.3-per-cent increase on the same period in 2005. Of that 1.7 million tonnes was top-quality jasmine rice. In the nine-month period, exports to Iraq - Thailand's largest market - improved 13 per cent year-on-year to 522,500 tonnes. Exports to Iran rose a significant 215.5 per cent to 499,513 tonnes. Sales to China grew 69.88 per cent to 445,390 tonnes. However, on the down side, exports to Cameroon, Nigeria, Japan and Senegal fell from 72.9, 42.7, 36.7, and 34.6 per cent, respectively. Chanin warned current heavy flooding in the Central provinces could affect output and white-rice quality. Most of Thailand's white-rice production was in those areas. A United States Agriculture Department report said Thailand would remain the world's largest rice exporter in 2007 with volume of 8.25 million tonnes - up from 7.3 million tonnes this year. The world's second-largest rice exporter was Vietnam, and it will experience an export fall-off to 4.7 million tonnes, from 5.2 million tonnes this year. Indian exports next year would weaken to 3.3 million tonnes from 3.8 million tonnes in 2006. Leading rice exporter CP Intertrade president Sumeth Laomoraphorn forecast a bright future for the industry. He expected drought in China and Indonesia to ratchet up demand for Thai produce. His company predicted a 30 to 40-per-cent hike in export volume on this year's estimated 350,000 tonnes. Sumeth added rice prices should rise as a result of demand and falling production. The average per-tonne price in the first nine months of 2006 was US$533 (Bt19,900) for Hom Mali rice, and $350 for 100-per-cent white rice.
Petchanet Pratruangkrai The Nation
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