Thai rice exports soar in first 4 months of 2023
Thailand’s rice exports in the first four months of this year surged to 3.05 million tonnes, resulting in increased income and confidence among farmers.
According to Alongkorn Ponlaboot, adviser to Agriculture Minister Chalermchai Srion, the continuous demand for rice in the market has driven the prices of almost all rice types in the country to exceed the guaranteed income prices, particularly jasmine rice, which has the highest production volume.
Thai rice exports in 2022 amounted to 7.69 million tonnes, representing a 22.1% increase compared to the same period in 2021, surpassing the 7.5 million tonnes target. The export value amounted to 138.45 billion baht (or 3.97 billion US dollars), an increase of 26.1% over the corresponding period in 2021.
The "Market-led Production Strategy" is a collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, led by Chalermchai, and the Ministry of Commerce, led by Jurin Laksanawisit.
This strategy aims to enhance cooperation with the private sector and promote the development of rice varieties that have high productivity per unit of land and meet market demand. It also focuses on upgrading large-scale rice fields and increasing marketing activities in foreign countries while maintaining a competitive exchange rate. These efforts have led to a continuous expansion of rice exports from the previous year until now, resulting in increased income for farmers.
