Thailand will implement a traceability system for rice as a strategy to add value to Thai rice and boost the confidence of consumers and, in particular, Japanese importers.

The plan came out of a recent meeting between Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai and Japanese rice traders, who called for Thailand to adopt the traceability system.

The development will not only better serve demand from Japanese buyers, but also increase trading opportunities for Thai rice in other markets.

Manat Soiploy, director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, said last week that the traceability system would cover the whole supply process from growing to packaging so that consumers will know the origin of each lot of rice shipped overseas.

As the world's major rice exporter, Thailand will benefit from traceability by building more trust among consumers as well as expanding export opportunities.

The department will soon meet with other agencies such as the Agriculture Ministry to establish the system, starting with the first stage of rice growing.

Thailand has also called for the Japanese government to increase the proportion of Thai rice imports under its commitment to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for both rice used in industry and for direct consumption.

Thailand has asked Japan to increase imports of Thai organic rice, which would increase the value of Thai rice exports to Japan, where demand for healthy foods is high.

Japan has set an import quota of 770,000 tonnes of rice per year under the WTO. Japan imported 598,420 tonnes of rice last year, with 42.7 per cent of that, or 255,700 tonnes, coming from Thailand.

The ministry has found a new market for Thai rice in Japan by convincing the alcohol producers association of Awamori in Okinawa to import Thai rice for use in producing alcohol. The association has imported about 20,000-25,000 tonnes of rice per year for its plants.

Thailand has been asking Japan to lift its ban on Thai frozen chicken since 2003. Thailand has been declared safe after the bird-flu outbreak in 2008 and started exporting frozen chicken to many countries since March 19 last year.

Source: The Nation