Demand for Thai rice increasing

The exports of Thailand’s rice are likely to surge due to growing demand in the world, according to the country’s Foreign Trade Department.
The exports of Thailand’s rice are likely to surge due to growingdemand in the world, according to the country’s Foreign TradeDepartment.

The department said several countries,including the US, China and Malaysia, are showing their interestto sign rice deals with Thailand.

The US isplanning to purchase about 1 million tonnes from Thailand, and Chinaand Malaysia are planning for a combined 600,000 tonnes, accordingto the department.

The Thai Commerce Ministry alsostated that China will probably sign agreements to buy an additional 1million tonnes from Thailand after the inspection of some warehousesin Thailand.

Between January 1 and April 4,Thailand exported around 2.11 million tonnes of rice, up about 29percent from the 1.64 million tonnes in the same period last year,reported the department.

The Thai government stillhas about 10 million tonnes of rice in stock and is keen to sell thegrain quickly due to quality concerns and the obligation to return about20 billion baht (around 619 million USD) to the Finance Ministry by May31.

It added that Iraq will soon resume riceimports from Thailand , while the country is also hopeful of winningthe tender to supply 800,000 tonnes to Philippines .

The Thai government has sold more than 1 million tonnes of rice inMarch 2014 and is planning to sell another 1 million tons to raise about8 billion baht (around 247 million USD) every month in 2014.

China, Malaysia and the US are traditional markets for Thairice. According to data from the Thai Rice Exporters Association (TREA),the US imported about 382,000 tonnes in 2013 and about 35,060tonnes in January this year.

The figure for Chinawere 277,547 tonnes in 2013 and about 35,495 tonnes in January, whilethose for Malaysia were 155,230 tonnes in 2013 and about 9,439 tonnes inJanuary.-VNA

See more

nearly 4,000 Korean companies are currently operating in the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). (Illustrative photo: vietnamtimes.org.vn)

RoK to seek closer ties with ASEAN

The Republic of Korea (RoK) will make efforts to expand economic exchanges and cooperation with Southeast Asian countries to address anticipated changes in the global trade environment after the new US administration signaled plans to implement protectionist measures, according to its Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Former Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his successor Prabowo Subianto inspect the progress of the new capital project Nusantara on Aug. 12, 2024. (Photo: Jakarta Globe)

Indonesia approves budget for new capital’s next development phase

The Indonesian government has allocated 48.8 trillion IDR (2.99 billion USD) for the second phase of developing Nusantara, Indonesia's new capital, for the 2025-2029 period. This represents a notable decrease from the 89 trillion IDR set aside for the first phase in 2022-2024.

In the past four elections, the time between the committee’s formation and polling day has ranged from four to 11 months. (Photo: Straits Times)

Singapore prepares for general election

A committee reviewing Singapore’s electoral boundaries was established by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, the Elections Department (ELD) said on January 22.

Head of the National Narcotics Agency of Indonesia (BNN) Marthinus Hukom (Photo: antaranews.com)

Indonesia prioritises drugs combat

Head of the National Narcotics Agency of Indonesia (BNN) Marthinus Hukom stated on January 22 that Prabowo Subianto is the first President to make drugs combat one of the country’s priority programmes, as outlined in the Asta Cita mission.

Officers measure emissions from a pickup truck at a checkpoint set up in front of Chatuchak Park on Phahon Yothin Road in Bangkok in January 2024. (Photo: Bangkokpost)

Thai cabinet approves carbon tax to curb emissions

The Thai cabinet approved a carbon tax of 200 THB (5.9 USD) per tonne of carbon emissions on January 21, as part of the country’s strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul.

Illustrative image (Photo: Nation Thailand)

Thailand's births fall below 500,000 for first time in nearly 80 years

Thailand's population has declined by 100,000 in 2024 to 65.95 million, marking a historic demographic shift as annual births fell below 500,000 for the first time since 1949, despite the government's efforts to promote childbearing through the Having Children for the Nation campaign.