SMEs can now get a licence to export rice in 30 minutes
Department of Foreign Trade speeds up application process
The government has speeded up the application process to just 30 minutes for enterprises looking to export rice instead of having to wait three days as in the past.
The initiative comes from the Commerce Ministry’s Department of Foreign Trade.
The move is in line with the government’s policy of encouraging farmers and rice traders classified as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to export their rice freely all over the world, department director-general Arada Fuangtong said on Friday.
By migrating the documentation process to an electronic platform, the department was able to cut the waiting period from around three days to just under 30 minutes, she said.
Other measures to promote rice exports that the Commerce Ministry is considering include reducing the mandatory domestic stock for rice exporters, and reducing the fee for an export permit. The measures are aimed at attracting small exporters, she added.
Arada said that in a bid to facilitate first-time exporters, the department has been educating them on how to apply for rice quota allocated by the European Union and the United Kingdom to ensure that new exporters do not miss out on these opportunities.
The department is also planning to organise the Thailand Rice Convention this year. Rice experts and traders from all over the world will be invited to exchange views and negotiate businesses with Thai entrepreneurs.
The department expects these moves to help boost Thailand’s rice exports in 2025 to around 7.5 million tonnes. This estimate is, however, lower than this year’s 9.9 million tonnes, as Thai rice is expected to face higher competition this year due to India lifting export restrictions.
In the first 11 months of 2024, Thailand exported 9.19 million tonnes of rice worth 208.87 billion baht. Major markets included South Africa, Europe, United States, Canada and the Philippines.
