It is one of the country's leading rice packers, selling under its brand name "Mah Boon Krong".

Rut Subniran, chairman of its executive board, said the company would concentrate more on health-conscious consumers. The strategy aims to increase revenue in a commodity industry with very low margins.

Healthy products will include cereal mixed with rice, multiple grains mixed with rice and "toddler rice", all of which the company refers to as "nutritious rice".

"The company hopes to increase sales of nutritious rice by 10 to 15 per cent in the next few years," said Rut.

Pathum Rice Mill currently generates only 5 per cent of sales from nutritious rice, with the remainder coming from selling regular rice locally and overseas.

The firm aims to achieve sales growth of 8 to 10 per cent this year to about Bt1.5 billion. Last year, sales increased 7 per cent to Bt1.2 billion.

Due to the baht's appreciation, rice traders are not as competitive as those in Vietnam, the world's second-largest rice exporter after Thailand.

Rut said the Vietnamese dong had weakened in line with the US dollar, whereas the baht had appreciated gradually by 12 to 14 per cent since the start of last year.

Some rice importers are buying rice from Vietnam because the price gap between Thai rice and Vietnamese rice is US$30 (Bt1,050) to $40 per tonne, he said.

However, Rut is optimistic

that the high quality of Thai rice will help to keep loyal customers. He called for the government to stabilise the baht in order to maintain the competitiveness of rice exports.

Petchanet Pratruangkrai

The Nation