Thai Rice Export
Thai Rice Export by region

In 2000, most of Thailand's rice production is traded with Africa, a switch from 1999 which Thailand traded mostly within Asia. According to the Department of Foreign Trade's statistical figures, Thailand traded approximately 38.7% of its export volume with Africa, in 2000, an increase from 32.5% in 1999. Trading within Asia, however, has dropped from 37.3% in 1999 to 29.5% in 2000. In 2001, the trend will likely continue toward more exports to Africa than within Asia.

Up to June 2001, Europe is Thailand's biggest rice trade partner, with over 214,126 metric tons traded. Africa and Asia, on the other hand, have fallen to the second and places with 1,433,855 and 845,400 metric tons, respectively. However, by the end of 2001, Africa will likely surpass Europe as Thailand's biggest trading partner of rice.

Thai rice exports by region in 1998-2001

Region / Year	1998	1999	2000	2001	January-April
					2001	2002
Africa	1,468,189	2,185,202	2,558,818	3,558,058	804,987	1,002,249
Asia	3,199,656	2,503,699	1,949,741	2,036,074	511,758	727,979
Middle East	797,101	1,376,596	1,389,625	1,080,860	299,751	294,605
Europe	274,273	246,388	325,597	410,207	162,239	110,121
America	578,473	318.095	299,105	383,238	122,567	111,712
Oceania	91,162	84,039	76,507	76,932	25,723	22,113
Total	6,408,854	6,714,019	6,599,423	7,545,368	1,927,026	2,268,778
Value (M.Baht)	85,396	72,325	68,102	69,261	18,581	19,412
Private Export	6,269,263	6,366,472	6,262,228	7,262,398	1,888,456	2,236,271
Govt., Export	142,700	347,547	337,055	282,970	38,570	32,508

Units: Metric Ton Source : Department of Foreign Trade (Grain Division)   : Board of Trade of Thailand Note: The value of fragrant jasmine rice exports between March 22 and April 30, 2002 is not included. Africa has remained the biggest market for Thai rice exports since 2000, and in 2001 it accounted for 47 percent of total Thai rice exports (3,558,058 tons), followed by Asia and the Middle East importing 27 percent (2,036,074 tons) and 14 percent (1,080,860 tons), respectively. In fact, Asia used to import more Thai rice than Africa until they traded places in 2000. Other important regions include Europe, America and Oceania with 5 percent (410,207 tons), 5 percent (383,238 tons) and 1 percent (76,932 tons) in 2001, respectively. Total imports in all these regions made Thailand achieve a record 7,545,368 tons of rice exports in the year. Considering import growth in these regions, Africa is the fastest-growing market, with increasing imports since 1998, while Asia has become weaker in buying Thai rice for the past few years. The Middle East and Europe have become other markets with steady import growth each year, whereas import trends in America and Oceania have somewhat spiraled down over in recent years. The falling significance of the Asian market may be attributed to the increase in regional competition from other producers such as Vietnam and China. Meanwhile, Africa will remain a very promising market for Thailand, given its enormous population, high consumption and restrictions of rice production. On the other hand, as US crops are increasing and prices are more competitive, US exports are thriving well in the region. Other major markets include Mexico, Chile, El Salvador and Haiti. Looking at exports over the first four months of this year, Africa is the number one importer of Thai rice with 1,002,249 tons, up 24 percent year-on-year, while Asia comes in the second place with 727,979 tons, up 0.42 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, the Middle East, Europe, America and Oceania have had a slower import pace than the same period last year, but total Thai rice exports over the months outdid last year’s figure of 2,268,778 tons shipped. While export volume has increased since 1998, export value has shown a reverse direction. This may be attributed to the prevalent decline in global rice prices over the recent years. While most of the international trade belongs to the private sector, only a fraction of the total trade volume is for the government sector.