BANGKOK, 5 June 2015 – Commerce Minister General Chatchai Sarikalya said he would approach Japan to increase its imports of white rice from Thailand to 50,000 tons annually, instead of 20,000 tons.
The minister revealed the plan during his current visit to Japan. The trip is aimed at securing foreign trade partners’ confidence in doing business with Thailand and increasing the Japanese orders of Thai rice. Japan currently imports 700,000 – 800,000 tons of rice per annum, 260,000 tons of which are from Thailand.
General Chatchai said he had asked Japan’s biggest rice importer, Kitoku Shinryo Company Co. Ltd., to increase the annual import of Thai white rice from 20,000 tons a year to 50,000 tons annually beginning next year.
He said other export promotion plans are also set in motion for the nation’s signature products including Riceberry.
