BANGKOK, 29 August 2012 (NNT) – The KU-OAE Foresight Center predicts a decline in Thai rice exports for this year, when global rice prices are likely to go down too.
Mr. Charuk Singhapreecha, director of the Kasetsart University-Office of Agricultural Economics (KU-OAE) Foresight Center: KOFC said on Tuesday that Thai rice price has gone up about 20 percent from the same time of last year to an average of 671 US dollars per ton.
The KOFC Director said that the exports of Thai rice are also showing signs of decline, with this year’s export target set at 6.5 million tons because of the 30 million tons of India’s rice stock and the easing of the global demand for rice.
However, he said that the Thai rice trade is seeing some positive signs ahead, including the likely depreciation of the baht, the higher rice demand from China and the drought problems in India and Vietnam, which are Thailand’s major rivals in the rice exports.
Mr. Charuk stated that the recent economic model study has shown that the government’s intervention in the rice business will drive prices up, a scenario that means market mechanism interference and a possible surge in social costs.
He is warning the government to carefully implement its policies in order to help Thailand to excel in the rice trade industry both over short and long terms.
The KOFC also urged Thai rice farmers to focus on growing quality crops, which will be in demand, without over-expanding their production and prolonged state intervention.
For next year, it forecast Thailand will register the total rice production of 25 million tons from 61 million rai of seasonal rice farms.

-- NNT 2012-08-29











