The Commerce Ministry plans to greatly streamline its rice export process and cut exporters' costs next year.
Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn said on Monday the ministry would reduce the number of procedures rice exporters must complete from 14 to four. This would reduce the duration of the process from 24 days to four days.
Exporters could also reduce their travel and paper costs from 12,140 baht to 2,076 baht for each contract, she said.
Streamlining involved switching to use of electronic systems, including electronic payment, to cut redundancy in data input and the use of paper application forms and attachments for the rice export process, which involved seven government organisations and three private organisations, Mrs Apiradi said.
The initiative was in response to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's directive to streamline the export process for rice, sugar, rubber and frozen goods and hazardous products.
The Commerce Ministry hoped its streamlined rice export process would be a model for the export of the other products, Mrs Apiradi said.