The Department of Foreign Trade has announced that a team of trade representatives is visiting Iraq, in the department’s bid to revive a stalled rice deal with the Middle East nation.

According to Mr. Surasak Riengkrue, the department’s Director General, the negotiation team’s visit, from Monday to Friday of this week, would seek to make a rice deal while regaining the country’s confidence in the kingdom’s product. He lauded Iraq’s market as one with great potential and predicted Thailand would be able to sell a lot of rice there if the negotiation is successful.

According to Mr. Paiboon Kuansongtham, CEO of the Kawchaiporn Co. Ltd., some of Thailand’s private rice exporters previously failed to deliver to Iraq, promised rice of top-notch quality and in appropriate quantities, causing the middle eastern nation to lose interest in purchasing further rice from the kingdom.

He voiced his opinion that these particular companies should explain themselves and issue formal apologies to the Iraqi authorities, thereby taking responsibility for their actions. Mr. Paiboon also suggested that the Department of Foreign Trade move quickly to help change the impression that Iraqi authorities now have about Thailand’s rice quality, in order to regain the nation’s trust.

Source: National News Bureau & Public Relations