Thailand could export more parboiled rice

BANGKOK, February 26 (TNA) - Thailand’s parboiled rice has gained popularity in overseas for a long time and the country could export a minimum of 500,000 tonnes more of it annually after the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is implemented in 2015. The kingdom could import more paddy from neighbouring countries, especially Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos while it has plenty of rice mills for the production of parboiled rice. Niwat Sutemechaikul, deputy permanent secretary for Agriculture and Cooperatives, said Thailand is now exporting rice between 8-10 million tonnes yearly of which about 0.7-1 million tonnes is parboiled rice, enabling the country to earn several billion baht from its exports. Currently, the U.S. and Vietnam are Thailand’s major competitors in exporting parboiled rice, while African and Middle Eastern countries are major importers of Thai parboiled rice. In another development, the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry plans to set up more rice community centres after it has found that farmers are encountering shortage of having good quality of rice seeds. Farmers need to have about 600,000 tonnes of rice seeds annually but only half is available to them to date. Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Theera Wongsamut said his ministry plans to establish a total of 6,800 centres nationwide within five years from now while there are only about 2,000 of them presently. The centres will enable farmers producing a better quality of rice. The ministry expects to set up 128 centres more this year, Mr. Theera added. (TNA)