Thailand may export 11m tonnes of rice this year

Thailand may export 11m tonnes of rice this year

A tractor drives in a rice-drying yard at a rice export plant in Chainat. (Reuters file photo)
A tractor drives in a rice-drying yard at a rice export plant in Chainat. (Reuters file photo)

Thailand is likely to export 11 million tonnes of rice this year, higher than its target, Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn said on Wednesday.

"Thailand is negotiating rice deals with many countries such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh," Ms Apiradi told reporters.

"This will help improve Thai rice prices and push our export volume up to 11 million tonnes," she said.

Thailand, the world's second-biggest rice exporter after India, set an export target of 10 million tonnes for 2017.

It has exported 6.3 million tonnes of rice so far this year, an increase of 16% from the same period last year.

The country exported 9.63 million tonnes of rice in 2016.

Some provinces in the rice-growing northeastern region have been affected by floods which began in July.

However, Ms Apiradi said the floods are not likely to affect rice exports.

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