BANGKOK, Nov 1 – Thai rice production is likely to increase, according to the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).
Rice production grew about 24 per cent per year on average for in-season rice and 3.58 per cent for off-season rice due to increases of production per rai, farmland area, and rounds of rice cultivation.
Meanwhile, the Thai rice export ratio is likely to fall from 32.2 to 27.3 per cent of the world’s rice export volume. In the global market, rice prices tend to drop due to less rice consumption and increased production per rai.
According to TDRI, Thais are progressively tending to consume less rice. In 2011, each person in the cities ate only 84 kilogrammes, compared to 93kg in 2002. Upcountry, consumers ate around 99 kg in 2011, dropping from 114kg per person in 2002.
TDRI proposed more research on rice strains to increase production and to improve the quality of fragrant rice to increase the value of Thai rice in order to better compete in the global market.
