The country’s rice exports from Jan 1 to Oct 26 stood at 7.06 billion tonnes, down 20.67 per cent year-on-year, worth US4.06 billion, down 25.91 per cent, Commerce Minister Pornthiva Nakasai said on Wednesday.
Mrs Pornthiva attributed the declining in rice exports to the global economic crisis but said Thailand is still the world’s largest rice exporter with about 30 per cent market share.
Commerce permanent secretary Yanyong Ouangraj said that under the Asean free trade agreement, from Jan 1, 2010, all import tariffs on rice will be removed.
He was confident the tax reduction would not have any effect on the domestic rice market as prices of local rice and those in neighbouring countries were not much different.
He did not expect rice from nearby countries to flood Thai rice market, as some people fear.
Source: Bangkok Post
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