Cambodia exporters shrug off Thai rice price cut
The Bangkok Post | 21 June 2013
The Thai government's decision to lower the
guaranteed price of rice to Thai farmers will not affect Cambodian rice
exports, according to Sok David, vice president of Golden Rice Cambodia
in Phnom Penh.
A Cambodian farmer works on a rice field in Phnom Penh. Cambodia
banks on cheaper prices in exporting rice to other countries. (EPA file
photo)
Sok David, vice president of Golden Rice Cambodia, an exporting firm
based in Phnom Penh, said Cambodia was more competitive because of its
lower prices, especially compared to Thai fragrant rice, the Phnom Penh Post reported on Friday.
The price of Thai fragrant white rice was quoted on Wednesday at
US$1,160 per tonne, according to the Thai Rice Exporters Association.
Rice exporters in Cambodia said it was $100-150 cheaper.
Exports of milled rice from Cambodia more than doubled in the first five months of this year.
Cambodia exported 146,854 tonnes of milled rice from January to May, a
127% increase year-on-year, according to the Council of the Development
of Cambodia. France was the chief buyer of Cambodian rice in the first
five months of this year, followed by Poland, Thailand, Malaysia and
China.
The Thai Exporters Association said on Thursday that rice exports
from Thailand will increase, thanks to the government's reduction of the
pledging price to farmers.
But it angered farmers who threatened a rally in Bangkok if the
government does not reverse it, at least until the end of the present
crop term on Sept 15.
Farmers leaders from 22 provinces will submit a letter to Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra demanding she accept the change at
Government House next Tuesday.
Prathum Saengkham, a farmer leader in Bang Rakam district of
Phitsanulok province, on Friday blasted the government as ''a liar'' for
reneging on its policy promised to farmers during the election
campaign.
"We are ready to negotiate with the government. We do not want to
hold a rally because it will cause trouble for other people,'' he said.
Pheu Thai has ordered its MPs to quickly return to their
constituencies to explain to farmers the need for the government to
reduce the purchasing price and set a maximum payment for each household
to limit the damage,
The change came after the government finally admitted under pressure
that the scheme suffered a loss of 136 billion baht in the first year,
the 2011-12 crop year.
Supachai Panitchpakdi, the secretary-general of the UN Conference on
Trade and Development, said Thailand's rice policies should not cause
the country to lose its market share in the global market.
"We need to be concerned about our policies relating to international
trade. We have many competitors and we cannot afford to lose our market
share further, because this will result in a significant amount of
money lost from exports," he said.
He said people were willing to purchase expensive rice if it was of
good quality, but amidst the economic downturn consumers would turn
to cheaper rice.
Thailand needs to increase its competitiveness in terms of the quality of agricultural products, he said.
"African countries, for instance, like Thai rice very much, but the current price is just too high," said Mr Supachai.
3 comments:
There is a lesson to be learnt from the Siem thugs. And Cambodia must keep up their quality too and pay special attention to packaging not to spoil the product!
There is a lesson to be learnt from the Siem thugs. And Cambodia must keep up their quality too and pay special attention to packaging not to spoil the product!
Impressive and powerful suggestion by the author of this blog are really helpful to reduce our hack-tic life. My own views are matching with author and I have experienced such.
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