Export hopes high at Thai rice convention

Thailand is promoting its high-quality and distinctive rice varieties, anticipating that the Thailand Rice Convention will secure 100,000 tonnes in orders and generate over 2 billion baht in revenue.

At the 10th Thailand Rice Convention (TRC) 2025 in Bangkok on Monday, Commerce Minister Pichai Naripthaphan said the government is committed to enhancing Thailand’s rice industry.

The Ministry of Commerce, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, will work to ensure that rice production meets demand and foster new market opportunities.

The focus is on promoting diverse high-quality rice varieties, including jasmine rice, organic rice, low-carbon rice, geographical indication (GI) rice and speciality rice, along with halal food products, targeting markets with high levels of purchasing power such as the EU, Japan and the Middle East.

This initiative aligns with the “Thailand: Kitchen of the World” policy, which aims to address food security challenges.

Mr Pichai said TRC 2025 is a platform for trade negotiations between Thai rice exporters and importers.

Following discussions with key global rice importers, it is anticipated that orders will surpass 100,000 tonnes, generating over 2 billion baht in revenue, he said.

The rice export goal for 2025 is maintained at 7.5 million tonnes, he added.

Charoen Laothamatas, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said the US reciprocal tariffs do not pose a significant challenge for Thai rice exports because this move might encourage US rice importers to consider sourcing from Asian suppliers.

He expressed more concern over India’s re-entry into the rice market.

While global rice production is improving, especially India’s record-breaking 140 million tonnes of milled rice, the largest quantity in 50 years, major buyers such as Indonesia may not import this year due to an oversupply and declining demand.

Despite these challenges, Mr Charoen is optimistic that Thailand can achieve its rice export target of 7.5 million tonnes this year.

However, he said there is a need for close monitoring of India’s rice export policies and the strengthening of the baht.

Thailand exported 2.4 million tonnes of rice in the first four months of this year, a 30% decrease from the same period of 2024, and the value of exports dropped by 34% year-on-year to UScopy.5 billion.

During that period, white rice exports fell by 51% year-on-year to 986,000 tonnes, broken white rice exports fell by 40% to 127,000 tonnes, glutinous rice exports decreased by 15% to 88,000 tonnes, while Hom Mali rice exports rose by 3% to 590,000 tonnes. Hom Mali broken rice exports grew by 4% to 182,000 tonnes and exports of parboiled rice rose by 14% to 365,000 tonnes.

Tags: glutinous rice, export, broken white rice, rice, jasmine rice, Production, organic rice, India, low-carbon rice, Thailand, geographical indication rice, Market, speciality rice, demand, Hom Mali rice, varieties, Hom Mali broken rice, parboiled rice, white rice