Thailand sees opportunities to boost rice exports to EU

Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand’s premium rice products are having better chances for export to the EU after the bloc allowed zero-tariff rice imports of 24,883 tonnes for October.

According to Keerati Rushchano, director-general of Thailand’s Foreign Trade Department, the European Commission has recently announced that the remaining annual quota for rice (white rice, Thai hom mali rice, Thai fragrant rice and 100 percent parboiled rice) would have zero tariffs this month for up to 24,883 tonnes.

The EU has set annual rice import quota for 2020 at 630,000 tonnes.

The zero import tariff is a good opportunity for Thai rice exporters to raise their exports to the market, said Keerati. The EU normally collects an import tariff of 145 EUR per tonne.

The bloc has required importers to apply for import licences within the first 10 working days of October.

In the first eight months of 2020, Thailand exported 146,362 tonnes of rice worth 140 million USD to the EU.

Charoen Laothammatas, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said local rice exports to the EU are likely to drop from 2019 because of the COVID-19 impact, which weakened rice demand at restaurants and hotels./.