ROME - India could export 8.3 million tonnes of rice this year and keep its title as top exporter in the world, while Thailand slips to third, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said Tuesday.
India last year surpassed Thailand as the top exporter for the first time in three decades, shipping 10.3 million tonnes of milled rice, as Thailand bought crops from farmers and shipped just 7 million tonnes overseas.
"We estimate that at the end of this year, India will remain the number one rice exporter, with Vietnam and Thailand slightly behind with 7.8 and 7.7 million tonnes, respectively," said Hiroyuki Konuma, FAO's regional representative for Asia.
The FAO's Rice Market Monitor report projected Asia's rice production in 2013 to rise 2.2%, to 452 million tonnes of milled rice.
"This will be the third year of bumper harvests for rice in Asia," Mr Konuma said.
The FAO attributed the increased production to good weather and government price supports for farmers in India and Thailand.
It estimated that India's stockpile would reach 22 million tonnes by year-end 2013, down 7.6% from 2012, while Thailand's will reach 16.3 million tonnes, up 29% from 2012.
Thailand, which offers farmers a fixed price of about US$500 per tonne of rice, was hoping its price support scheme would boost international rice prices while bolstering farmers incomes.
But the FAO said benchmark international rice prices had fallen 4% in the first four months on 2013 - the only major grain to fall in value.
"The large stocks accumulated by the Thai government through the paddy-pledging programme weighed on market sentiment," the FAO said.
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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/05/07/thailand-falling-to-no-3-rice-exporter/
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