Thailand has been negotiating with many countries to sell some of itsrice stocks, and the deal might be concluded within this year, accordingto the Thai Ministry of Commerce.
The National NewsBureau of Thailand (NNT) quoted Commerce Minister NiwatthamrongBoonsongpaisarn as saying Thailand has been in talks with thePhilippines and Indonesia in a bid to sell its rice.
Niwatthamrongsaid though his country has as much as 16 million tonnes of ricesitting in warehouses nationwide, only a small amount of rice needs tobe sold.
Half of the stockpiled rice has been committed toother governments, while another five million tonnes comes from thelatest rice buying scheme.
Meanwhile, there is a highpossibility that Thailand would sell rice to Indonesia becausethe country is in need of as much as 600,000 tonnes of rice, said theforeign trade department's director-general Surasak Riangkreau.
Thailand is also in the process of selling 250,000 tonnes of rice to Iran.-VNA