Thailand, the world’s second-largest rice exporter after India, witnessed a significant increase in rice exports during the first four months of 2023. According to the Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister for Political Affairs, the country exported more than 2.79 million tons of rice, valued at over 1.514 billion US dollars. These figures indicate a notable growth of 23.61 percent in volume and 28.03 percent in value compared to the same period in 2022.
The Ministry of Commerce, citing data from the Department of Foreign Trade, revealed that the global demand for Thai rice is expected to rise, prompting several countries to import large quantities. As a result, Thailand’s rice exports are projected to surpass the target of 7.5 million tons in 2023, surpassing the total volume of 7.69 million tons exported in 2022.
Encouragingly, the latest figures until May 10, 2023, show that Thailand has already exported over 3.05 million tons of rice. This suggests a sustained demand in the international market, providing a positive outlook for the future of the country’s rice industry.
Thailand’s major rice export markets include Iraq, Indonesia, the United States, South Africa, Senegal, Bangladesh, China, Japan, Cameroon, and Mozambique. White rice is the leading export variety, followed by Thai jasmine rice, parboiled rice, Thai fragrant rice, glutinous rice, and brown rice, respectively.
To meet the growing demand and maintain its position as a key player in the rice export market, Thailand continues to focus on improving the quality of its rice products. The government, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, is actively implementing measures to enhance the quality and competitiveness of Thai rice in the global arena.
With the positive performance in the first four months of 2023 and optimistic projections for the year ahead, Thailand’s rice industry looks poised to further accelerate its development while satisfying the increasing demand from international buyers.