Thailand’s rice and chicken exports to decline in 2009
Thailand’s exports of rice and chicken are expected to be gloomy next year due to ongoing global economic slowdown and uncompetitive prices of Thai rice, reported the state-run Thai News Agency (TNA).
TNA quoted Chookiat Ophaswongse, president of Thai Rice Exporters Association, as saying that rice export trends for next year are not promising because Thailand’s domestic rice prices had risen sharply this year while a number of countries had encouraged more rice farming for their own consumption, while other rice exporting countries also are growing more rice.
Chookiat said the global rice trade next year is projected to decline to around 28-28.5 million tonnes from this year’s 30 million tonnes and such drop will cause hardships for Thai rice exporters. He believed Thailand’s rice exports next year are expected to retreat to about 8.5 million tonnes from this year’s 10 million tonnes.
He said local rice exporters have blamed the government’s rice pledging programme for distorting the rice market, leaving huge stockpiles in state hands, resulting in a huge decline in orders from international buyers in recent months.
Meanwhile, Dr.Anan Sirimongkolkasem, president of the Thai Broiler Processing Exporters Association, said Thailand is expected to export about 350,000 tonnes of cooked chicken and 10,000 tonnes of chicken meat during next year, with a total of 44 billion baht, dropping about five percent from this year.
The poultry industry will continue to need more workers although next year’s chicken export volume is projected to fall.
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