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Published on December 15, 2007

Apiradi Tantraporn, director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, yesterday said the government was very confident of crossing the previous export target of less than 9 million tonnes.

Thailand exported 8.74 million tonnes of rice, worth Bt113.14 billion, in the first 11 months of the year.

Rice exports jumped significantly in the past three months because the shortage of freight services was resolved and also because India

and Vietnam suspended exports due to domestic shortages.

The department also said it released 511,730.3 tonnes of white rice at its latest auction of government stockpiles, leaving the government with only 1.5 million tonnes.

The government's stockpiles of rice rose to 4 million tonnes early this year as result of the higher price guarantee by the ousted Thaksin Shinawatra government.

Apiradi said the government earned about Bt5.33 billion from the latest auction.

It managed to increase the bid price by Bt145.45 million while at the same reducing its storage costs, which amount to Bt174 million a year.

Capital Cereal won the biggest lot of 215,737 tonnes of the second crop of 5-per-cent white rice for export from the 2006 harvest season. Chaiyaporn Rice and Foods Products won the largest lot

of 91,418 tonnes of the first crop of 5-per-cent white rice from the 2005-06 harvest season.

The price offered for each crop ranged from Bt10,150 to Bt10,720 per tonne and Bt10,550 to Bt10,660 per tonne, respectively.

Petchanet Pratruangkrai

 The Nation