Thailand’s rice exports this year are expected to increase, from the projected 7.5 million tonnes to 8.2 million tonnes, thanks to the weakening of the baht against the US dollar. This makes Thai rice more competitive in the world market.
Thai rice exports for the first half of this year were said to be 5.08 million tonnes, worth an estimated 117 billion baht, an increase of 25.12% year on year.
Besides the weakening of the Thai currency, to 35-37 baht per US dollar, the export increase was attributed to higher demand for Thai rice from two major importers, the Philippines and Indonesia.