Commerce Minister meets with US rice importers

[rooster59]

Commerce Minister meets with US rice importers

By The Nation

 

Jurin Laksanawisit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit and his delegation, who are currently in the US, met on Friday (November 8), with importers of Thai rice for sale in the US to discuss barriers, problems and opportunities for boosting rice exports from Thailand.

 

 

The Minister met with representatives of 13 major importers including Otis MaAllister, Inc., Sun Lee, Asian Trading Corp, Vinh-Sanh Trading & First World, US Trading Co., NA Trading, HC Food, Chayothai LLC, and American Commercial Transportation.

 

Thailand currently exports some 500,000 tonnes of rice to the US a year, most of it jasmine rice. The US is one of the top markets of Thailand's jasmine rice.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30378194

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-11-10

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[YetAnother]

so, bottom line, it is news that a top thai official is doing his job

[RotBenz8888]

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

discuss barriers, problems and opportunities for boosting rice exports from Thailand.

Except for devalue the Baht, what can we do to make you buy more rice?

[mikebell]

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit and his delegation,

Bet they travelled first class on Thai.

[SoilSpoil]

The best way to solve the high haht crisis is to accept payments in Bitcoin.

[farmerjo]

Ticktock,ticktock 1st of december is coming fast.

[IAMHERE]

Wonder how many houses this imported rice has bought for Thai's in America

[Srikcir]

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Thailand currently exports some 500,000 tonnes of rice to the US a year

This might seem a lot of rice imports but here is some perspective (as of 2012):

https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2012/03/21/what’s-in-your-rice-a-look-at-where-rice-in-the-u-s-comes-from/

• US produces about 93% of its rice supply.
• US rice production dominates consumption at over 90%.
• About half of its rice imports comes from China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines, Brazil, Japan, Pakistan and the Republic of Korea (in this order - likely altered by the current US tariff wars).

The US would seem to have substantial leverage over Thailand for increased import of Thai rice. So it might become a matter of what concession Thailand might make for sustained/greater US imports? 

Consider the US forced Canada to increase US dairy imports in the new US-Mex-Can free trade agreement.

The US diary industry produces massive amounts of wet & dry dairy products for export, ie., in 2018 the US was the world's largest single-country cheese exporter. With the US-China tariff war Mexico and Southeast Asia remained the top two overseas destinations for US dairy products in 2018, followed by Canada, China and South Korea. But exports to Southeast Asia have been sliding towards the end of 2018 apart from a substantial drop of dairy exports to China.

https://www.dairybusiness.com/2018-record-year-for-u-s-dairy-export-nearly-16-milk-solids-production/

Thus, the US might require Thailand to commit to import more US dairy products at little or no tariff as part of an overall free trade agreement.* That could have a significant adverse impact on Thailand's domestic dairy production.

So Thailand shouldn't be too "giddy" over any prospects of a trade deal with the US for sustained or increased rice exports to the US.

* Coincidentally, I was at a Tops Market recently where a US whole milk brand was being promoted at a sampling stand with an introductory price of course.