BANGKOK, Sept 1 (NNN-TNA) – Thailand’s rice export surged 11.9 percent, year on year, to 5.29 million tonnes as of Aug 29, this year, official data showed yesterday.
The country exported rice valued at 2.56 billion U.S. dollars, in the first seven months of this year, an increase of 20.73 percent from a year earlier, showed data from the Ministry of Commerce.
The increase was attributed to concerns over droughts, as a result of the El Nino weather phenomenon, and India’s rice export ban, which prompted rice-importing countries to buy more, to maintain food security, said Ronarong Poolphiphat, director-general of the ministry’s Foreign Trade Department.
A stable Thai baht against the U.S. dollar and competitive export prices with those of other exporters like Vietnam and Pakistan, also supported the rice export growth, Ronarong told a news conference.
He noted that, the commerce ministry maintains its forecast of Thai rice shipments at eight million tonnes this year.– NNN-TNA
