Thailand has so far exported over nine million tons of rice this year.
Director-general of the Department of Foreign Trade Mrs Duangporn Rodphaya revealed that since the beginning of this year Thailand has exported 9.3 million tons of rice valued at US$4.173 billion.
She said this represented a 2% increase from the previous year, while voicing expectations that total exports of rice for the year will be able to meet the 9.5 million tons projection.
According to the department, Jasmine rice exports alone have increased from 1.5 million tons to 2 million tons which has been helped in no small degree by the competitive price of Thai jasmine rice in the global market.
The department expects that the situation will continue to gradually improve in the coming months.
As to the proposal to use the remaining rice stocks in government warehouses for the production of ethanol the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Energy, she said that they will be joining forces to have an independent department carry out a study on the feasibility of the project.
They say that what was vital was to ensure that the proposal in no way jeopardizes rice prices or prices of other agricultural products in the country.
