Govt to impose strict controls on rice imports

Controlling sanitary standards and stringent border controls would ensure that rice from neighbouring countries would not flood into the country, he said.

"Without stringent regulations to control rice imports, the government will face huge losses, and Thai rice's reputation could be damaged," said Charoen.

Under the Asean Free Trade Agreement (Afta), import tariffs on rice will be cut to zero early next year among Asean members, with the exceptions of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The zero tariff for rice would be effective for 11 types, including paddy rice, brown rice, Thai jasmine rice, polished rice and partly polished rice, sticky rice, husk rice and parboiled rice. Currently, rice imports into the Kingdom are subject to a 50-per-cent import tariff.

Charoen said the government must also provide specific lists of rice importers, who must specify the objective of the rice imports, as the country is self-sufficient in rice.

In the past, rice imports from neighbouring countries have led to circumvention of the price-pledging scheme and the circulation of lower quality rice, he said.

Thailand already has a problem with rice smuggling into the country, as the Kingdom's price guarantees keep rice prices higher than in neighbouring countries.

To prevent rice smuggling, Charoen said, the government should consider other subsidies to rice farmers, rather than the high guaranteed rice price established under the pledging project.

If the Thai rice price is too high, the government will inevitably face a smuggling problem from nearby countries, where production costs are much lower, he said.

'Stringent standards needed'

Chookiat Ophaswongse, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said the government must establish clear measures to control the standard of rice imports at least three months before the implementation of the pact.

The government must also create more stringent measures to prevent plant diseases, or forbid imports of paddy rice into the Kingdom, he said.

Paddy rice is easily combined with Thai rice, and its origins are difficult to ascertain, Charoen said.

Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai said the government is highly concerned about preserving the quality of Thai rice, and is aware of the danger of lower-quality rice grains from neighbouring countries being combined with Thai rice.

The minister said she has instructed the Foreign Trade Department to organise a public hearing on June 4 to ensure that the regulation of rice trading among Asean countries is fair to all.