Illustrative image (Source: AFPVNA)Bangkok (VNA) - Thai riceexporters are fretting over their prospects this year as China looks set toramp up its rice shipments, notably to Africa.
TheBangkok Post on June 12 quoted Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the ThaiRice Exporters Association as saying that China produces an estimated 120million tonnes of rice each year and is likely to raise exports to 3 milliontonnes of aged grains this year from 1.5-2 million tonnes last year.
Africais a potential target market for China now that consumers there are in thehabit of eating aged rice, he said.
China’s5 percent white rice is quoted at 300 USD a tonne, while similar grains fromThailand are quoted at 390 USD, those from Vietnam at 360 USD and those fromIndia at 370 USD.
Chineserice is very cheap compared with others, said Chookiat, adding that Thailandhas run out of stocks of aged rice.
Thairice shipments totalled 11.09 million tonnes last year, down 5 percent from11.67 million in 2017 but greater than 2016's 9.91 million.
Thevalue of rice exports rose 8.3 percent last year to 5.61 billion USD from 5.18billion USD in 2017 and 4.40 billion USD in 2016. Rice export prices averaged 507USD per tonne last year, up 14.1 percent from 2017.
Forthe whole of 2019, rice exporters forecast Thai shipments of 9.5 milliontonnes, or 500,000 tonnes shy of the Commerce Ministry’s projection.
Accordingto Chookiat, China has continued to develop rice varieties with higher yields,meaning the country could expand its exports of the grain to other Asiancountries in the future at relatively low prices.
Aslong as China is capable of exporting its grains to Asia, especially to HongKong, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, Thailand’s rice market will behit the hardest, Chookiat said.
Theofficial said the new government should promote development of new ricevarieties and support more R&D to add value to Thai rice and reduceproduction costs for farmers.-VNA
