Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand has seen a surge in rice exports to Indonesia in recent months as the island country has been severely hit by drought.
Thai Deputy Commerce Minister Naphinthorn Srisanpang said Indonesia ranked 20th on Thailand’s list of rice importers last year, ordering 91,714 tonnes of rice worth 42.24 million USD.
In the first 10 months of this year, that volume increased dramatically to 1.05 million tonnes of rice worth 523.45 million USD, making Indonesia the number one importer of Thai rice.
Thai Deputy Commerce Minister Naphinthorn Srisanpang said Indonesia ranked 20th on Thailand’s list of rice importers last year, ordering 91,714 tonnes of rice worth 42.24 million USD.
In the first 10 months of this year, that volume increased dramatically to 1.05 million tonnes of rice worth 523.45 million USD, making Indonesia the number one importer of Thai rice.
Naphinthorn said that drought has impacted Indonesia’s rice-growing areas, especially in Java and parts of South Sumatra. Farmers in highland areas have been forced to cultivate plants that consume less water such as corn, he was quoted by local media as saying on December 5.
Thailand’s rice exports in the January-October period totalled 6.92 million tonnes worth 3.96 billion USD, up 11.4% and 24.7 % year on year respectively. The top five importers were Indonesia, the US, South Africa, Iraq and China.
The demand for rice is likely to increase due to drought and El Nino's impact on rice production, Naphinthorn said, adding that concerns about food security have pushed many countries to import rice to meet domestic demand.
To increase exports and promote Thai rice among new consumers, he held that Thailand needs to accelerate its development of rice varieties, focusing on boosting competitiveness and meeting consumers’ demands.
Farmers should seek guidelines to deal with climate change and follow government agencies’ water management measures to mitigate the impact of drought, the official added./.
VNA
