Jasmine rice to be sold as souvenir at Thai airports

[webfact]

Jasmine rice to be sold as souvenir at Thai airports
PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THAI jasmine and organic jasmine rice will be on sale to tourists for the first time at airports around the country this month as part of a government plan to promote the famed Thai rice to the rest of the world.

Srirat Rastanapa, director-general to the International Trade Promotion Department, said that the department had received cooperation from Airports of Thailand to secure an area at kiosks to sell the Thai rice as a "souvenir".

In the initial phase, the rice will be available at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Don Mueang Airport, Phuket airport, and Chiang Mai airport. Two types of rice will be available - jasmine and organic jasmine rice - in small, stylish packaging.

Aimed at promoting the famed jasmine rice to foreign visitors, the plan was initiated by Deputy Commerce Minister Yanyong Phuangrach. In addition to promoting Thai rice around the world, it is also hoped that sales will go towards reducing the quantity of rice in government stockpiles.

The packaging will provide information on the rice, cultivation and the traditional production methods practised by Thai people. The words "Gift from Thailand", will also be printed on the packaging to emphasise it's importance as a national product of the Thai people.

The attractively packaged rice will be sold in small 1kg and 2kg packs that can be easily carried. The ministry also plans to seek the cooperation of other travel agencies to sell Thai rice at tourist destinations.

Thai rice is well known for its quality and there is high demand among consumers, particularly jasmine rice, known locally as "hom mali".

Many countries have their own unique souvenirs, such as South Korea's Ginseng, the Netherlands' tulip, and Japan's green tea. Thailand will promote Thai jasmine rice in the world market as a symbol of international recognition, Srirat said.


-- The Nation 2013-09-02

[Thait Spot]

Selling something that cannot legally be brought into the vast majority of countries is not the smartest move.......

[clockman]

Clutching at !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PoorSucker]

How many small bags will it be to get rid of the governments rice mountain.

[tingtongfarang]

Imagine trying to go through customs somewhere like australia with a bag of mouldy rice infested with rat shit and weevils,

Gift from thailand

[Nowhereman60]

Thailand just doesn't get it. Why not give a small packet away free with the information about the rice. Thailand can not accept spending money to make money.

[gosompoi]

OH MY! it must be easy to be a comedian in Thailand! 1 kilo of bugs and rice to be confiscated at your next destination.

[Katipo]

Well I guess they have to try get rid of the huge stockpiles somehow.

Having said that, if someone brought me back a bag of rice as a gift from their travels, I'm not sure whether I'd be insulted or just think they were a bit daft.

[trainman34014]

They should try giving it away free to every passenger which would shift it faster. Even then a lot would refuse it.

Can just imagine Australian Customs welcoming plane loads of people carrying rice !

[jaltsc]

Next thing you know, the Thai government will be selling defrocked monks in plastic cases to display on your mantle when you get home. Why don't they just admit that they screwed up on the rice scheme, learn their lesson and do it differently and better next time?

From a Thai government perspective, the first idea is a serious consideration. The second idea is totally unrealistic.

[ramrod711]

Two types of rice will be available - jasmine and organic jasmine rice - in small, stylish packaging.

1. laced with chemicals 2. musty, rotten and laced with rat crap. Take your pick.

[Mosha]

Labeled unfit for human consumption one hopes.

[seajae]

it will be no good for aussies to buy it, you are not allowed to take toxins/poison into Australia so customs will sieze it all

[bigbamboo]

They could use that old T shirt slogan on the packaging.......

" My friend went to Amazing Thailand and I all I got was this lousy bag of rice. "

[Songhua]

Ten millions tons into one kilo packs divided by twenty four million tourists pa =

(and they'll be able to put it in their Siamese cat bag)

[arminbkk]

Selling something that cannot legally be brought into the vast majority of countries is not the smartest move.......

Yes, my homecountry being one of them. The first thought upon reading the headline.

Guess someone didn't think this idea through thoroughly.

Hope that someone reads this: you've just lost face.

[Ricardo]

And coming soon ... handy carry-on 25-kg bags of rotting-rubber, to match the mouldy-rice.

But won't KP be upset, if someone else starts selling products, to gullible foreigners departing the country ?

[jonclark]

Wonder what the mark up will be for a 1kg bag of rice for tourists at the airport will be?

[dcutman]

Ten millions tons into one kilo packs divided by twenty four million tourists pa =

(and they'll be able to put it in their Siamese cat bag)

3 or 400 years, Thats if every single tourist buys a bag. WHOOOOOOO thats gonna be some interesting rice.

[culicine]

How many small bags will it be to get rid of the governments rice mountain.

And they can charge 300 baht a kilo too! It's another cunning plan but Thailands best and brightest to lower mountain of mouldy rice....only other asian countries would let rice in anyway. Australia would confiscate it.

[giggles]

i would rather have a bag of peas

[beenhere2long]

Thailand...the HUB of daftness

[NongKhaiKid]

I'll bet the folks at TAT will be seething mad as the Trade Promotion Dept., has come up with a stupid idea and that's their prerogative.

[harrry]

rice lunchboxes for the high speed train too.

[LuckyLew]

They should sell 4 types of rice

1- rice with mould

2- Rice with rats droppings

3- Rice with bird droppings

4- Rice with the works ... mold, rat and bird crap

...

Who came up with this idea?

[lemonjelly]

oh well... desperate times, desperate measures I suppose....

[Misterwhisper]

Sometimes the idiotic ideas government members in this country come up with really make me wonder whether it is a general Thai trait to be a twit or whether this is just confined to the so-called elite, who are so far removed from reality that they simply don't have any clue.

Who in the world is going to buy rice at an airport to take home abroad as a souvenir? And even if they did, how many of them will run into serious trouble when they're being caught at their home country's airport for trying to bring in prohibited food stuffs (potentially contaminated with insects and what not, I'd like to add)?

I can't even see this working with LOCAL tourists:

- Somchai: "Hey, look what I've brought you from Chiang Rai..."

- Somkid: "What is it?"

- Somchai: "It' jasmine rice!!!"

- Somkid: "Oh, uhm... wonderful, thank you kha. I've always dreamt of receiving some souvenir rice from Chiang Rai."

[A1Str8]

It should be sold as unhealthy food instead of souvenir.

Sent from one of my devices using the internet

[Songhua]

It should be sold as unhealthy food instead of souvenir.

Sent from one of my devices using the internet

Not much longer and it'll be eligible as a museum exhibit.

[impulse]

Poopoo the idea all you want.

I envision thousands of Chinese tourists buying a few bags each for their friends, just to show they're in the high income world traveling class.

I think it's a good idea.