The government looks set to promote seven rice products and seed development as part of a marketing-led production strategy for 2020-2024.
According to Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, who yesterday chaired the first meeting of a panel tasked with handling the Thai rice strategy, the five-year strategic plan will focus mainly on Thai hom mali rice, Thai fragrant rice, soft-textured white rice, hard-textured white rice, parboiled rice, glutinous rice and speciality quality rice.
The rice market will also be divided into three categories: Thai hom mali and fragrant rice for the premium market; the mass market for soft-textured white rice, hard-textured white rice and parboiled rice; and the speciality market for glutinous rice and speciality quality rice.
Mr Jurin said the meeting also agreed on a greater focus on R&D for rice seeds to increase yield and quality.
The improvement of rice seeds will help raise Thailand's competitiveness in the world market and cater to demand, while the focus on innovation will help add value to rice products and sustain farmers' income in the long run, he said.
However, according to Mr Jurin, more discussions on how to address obstacles to rice exports such as export cost and logistics are still needed.
"The panel will hold 2-3 meetings before concluding the rice strategy and proposing it to the National Rice Policy Committee chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha for consideration. The strategy is then sent to the cabinet for final approval, possibly by August," he said.
Charoen Laothammatas, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said this is the first time a meeting of the panel on rice strategy had all stakeholders participate.
"It's a good sign that Thailand intends to focus more on seed R&D in response to market demand," he said.
Prapat Panyachartrak, president of the National Farmers Council, said the government should include buffalo raising in the national rice strategy and provide low-interest loans or interest-free loans for five years to encourage all rice farmers to have a buffalo.
Buffaloes are an asset and useful for ploughing and making manure, Mr Prapat said.
The Commerce Ministry reported Thailand's customs-cleared exports tallied 2.12 tonnes worth 43 billion baht between January and April, down 32.1% and 15.7%, respectively, year-on-year.