BANGKOK, 14 May 2012 – Thailand is scheduled to discuss rice cooperation with Vietnam and Cambodia at the end of May in hopes of boosting the global market price and prevent price war.
The Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) has revealed that in an attempt to collaborate in rice trade with ASEAN member countries, Thailand will hold a joint meeting with Vietnam and Indonesia later this month with the objective of boosting the global market price and preventing the problem of price-slashing among competitors, which may eventually lead to a drop in the overall price and impact the farmers of all the three countries. The meeting is expected to be successful as rice cooperation has long been on the table for discussion.
Thailand will be assisting Cambodia to get a toehold in the global rice market. Initially, Thailand plans to have rice mills process and package Cambodian paddies for export. However, Cambodian rice must be kept under close watch to prevent it from infiltrating the Thai rice market or the rice pledging scheme.
