Thai rice exports make big gains in volumes and value in Q1
Thailand’s rice exports rose 8.48% year on year to more than 2 million tonnes in the first quarter of this year, government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said on Tuesday.
He said 2.06 million tonnes of rice valued at 38.06 billion baht, up 29.26% year on year, were exported from January to March this year.
Of the total exports, 16.38% were bought by Iraq, followed by Indonesia (13.08%), the US (8.62%), South Africa (8.24%) and Senegal (5.86%).
Anucha said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha thanked related agencies for creating awareness on Thai rice development, which was crucial for boosting rice exports in the global market.
"The premier also urged related agencies to maintain standards and quality to safeguard the reputation of Thai rice in the global market," he said.
He added that Thai rice is popular in the global market, thanks to its unique characteristics and production quality.
Anucha added that the Department of Foreign Trade organised an event, "Thailand Rice Convention 2023”, in Chiang Rai on April 24-25.
He said the event aimed to create awareness among farmers on how to grow different rice species and check the standard before export, as well as on the global market situation.
The event was also in line with Thai Rice Strategy (2020-2024) that aims to make Thailand the global leader in rice production and marketing, he said.
He added that the Commerce Ministry is targeting 7.5 million to 8 million tonnes of Thai rice exports this year.
