BANGKOK, 14 February 2013 The Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) has planned to send representatives to join major trade fairs related to rice in Germany and UAE, with an aim to promote high-quality Thai rice among foreigners.
According to DFT Director-General Pranee Siripan, rice representatives will attend the World Organic Trade Fair, or Biofach 2013, in Germany during February 13-16; as well as Gulfood 2013, the world’s biggest annual food and hospitality exhibition, in United Arab Emirates during February 25-28.
For the Biofach, the representatives will showcase Thai organic rice and products from organic rice, and discuss business opportunities with prospective buyers. The director-general hoped that Thai organic rice producers could make inroads into the European market, which is known for customers with high purchasing power and those who prefer healthful food.
In 2012, Thailand exported 3,200 tons of organic jasmine rice to Europe, accounting for 76% of all Thai exported organic jasmine rice. The target is on Europeans with Asian descents.
As for the Gulfood, the department aims to promote high- quality products, including jasmine, organic, and geographical indication (GI) rice, which is high in nutrition, among Arab buyers with high purchasing powers, and the UAE , which is the product distribution center for to other Middle Eastern countries.
