Thailand plans 2m-tonne rice deal with China

[webfact]

Ministry plans 2m-tonne rice deal with China
PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION
BEIJING

BANGKOK: -- THAILAND PLANS to sell a further 2 million tonnes of rice to China under a government-to-government contract after the delivery of an existing order for 1 million tonnes to that country is completed next year.

Commerce Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya said his ministry would discuss the new G2G rice contract with the China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO), a state agency for oil, rice and foodstuff imports, with a view to further sales.

"The country will accelerate shipments of the existing order for 1 million tonnes. We will sell another 2 million tonnes to China after completion of the 1-million-tonne shipment," he said.

Thailand so far has shipped 300,000 of the 1 million tonnes under the existing contract, and is scheduled to ship the rest by next July. Chatchai said that for the remaining 700,000 tonnes, the government would encourage China to import jasmine rice, as it has more added value.

China is one of the largest import markets for Thai rice, with jasmine rice picking up interest among consumers.

During a trip to Thailand by COFCO officials this week, the delegation will be taken on a tour of rice and jasmine-rice fields and witness the production process from milling to packaging, in order to gain confidence in Thai products. Also, the ministry's Foreign Trade Department will demonstrate the DNA inspection process to the visitors.

To promote Thai rice in China, the Commerce Ministry will launch a series of activities including a cooking pavilion at a Chinese supermarket to raise awareness of Thai products.

With closer cooperation between Thai and China agencies, it is hoped that Chinese consumers will develop a preference for Thai rice.

Moreover, Thailand will work closely with Chinese importers to tackle the problem of lower-quality grains being mixed with Thai rice. The ministry will insist on the display of the Thai rice-certification logo to ensure that all Thai rice sold in China is pure. Any rice trader found mixing Thai rice with other products will be subject to punishment for breaching Thai intellectual-property rights.

The ministry will encourage Thai rice exporters to use the certification logo for jasmine rice to boost the confidence of buyers.

China imports about 4 million tonnes of rice each year, mainly from Vietnam and Thailand.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Ministry-plans-2m-tonne-rice-deal-with-China-30247620.html


-- The Nation 2014-11-13

[BigBadGeordie]

A done deal excellent news, but hang on...."would discuss"......"with a view to further sales", been here before I think.

Why oh why cant these guys just keep their mouth shut, get on with the job in hand and then report when all is completed?

To borrow the "Nike" strap line JUST DO IT!

[RustBucket]

Yeah Yeah Yeah.....

China won't buy your stockpiles. They aint bloody stupid. They know you have new crop and that is what they will make you deliver.

You don't even have 2 million tonnes of good rice in your stockpiles.

Anyway..... there is a big difference from saying what you 'plan' to achieve and what will 'actually' happen.

Stop dreaming. You are struggling to send 1 million tonnes.

[BSJ]

I am guessing the Chinese are looking for a little sweetener to get the standard gauge railway contract inked.

Apart from corn, sugar, rice and rubber there are only few things Thailand can realistically sell to China.

Given that a lot of consumer goods and industrial equipment and supplies come from China already.

The wife was in the accessories & clothing business and 90% + of what she sold was made in China....usually without a tag but sometimes with a Thai tag!

And I am still involved in engineering supply and attend trade shows here where a lot of Chinese machines are offered for sale....plus aluminium, brass, copper and steel etc.

[NongKhaiKid]

I was referred to an interesting article in the Nikkei Asian Review which praises Thailand's generals for outwitting the US by cleverly playing the China card so now with the US, Europe and Japan sidelined they are having to re-think attitudes towards LoS .

If this works to the benefit of the country that's good but what if Thailand overplays their hand and sometime in the future wakens up to the fact the country has become little more than another Chinese province ?

Some powerful people might not care too much as they will have benefited personally, China will have seen to that.

[Thai at Heart]

I was referred to an interesting article in the Nikkei Asian Review which praises Thailand's generals for outwitting the US by cleverly playing the China card so now with the US, Europe and Japan sidelined they are having to re-think attitudes towards LoS .

If this works to the benefit of the country that's good but what if Thailand overplays their hand and sometime in the future wakens up to the fact the country has become little more than another Chinese province ?

Some powerful people might not care too much as they will have benefited personally, China will have seen to that.

I don't see why they feel the need to outwit the USA? This is not a zero sum game and setting up these deals at summits mean little when the sitting govt is from a coup and will be gone in a year or so.

So he sucked up to China for a day. Next year, he will be last year's news on a stinky bit of old fish.

[NongKhaiKid]

I'm only guessing but can imagine there will be some at the top who think they've hit on the perfect strategy to take everything that China offers and the world will be jealous even worried and try to shower LoS with all sorts of goodies.

Playing the major nations off against each other is a dangerous game as is having only one friend rather than many especially if that friend is one in name only.

[Commerce]

It's now a Thai intellectual-property right not to mix shit rice with Jasmine rice? Wow! That's a cleverly thought out idea to claim rights over....

[falangjim]

Time to unload all that ruined rice to China, eh?

[Chris Lawrence]

They should get on with sales to reduce their stock piles. When they do this their world price for quality rice will increase.

The constant whining about who did what to whom and who shall pay is hindering their exposure to the world market. At the end of the day Miss Y is going to walk from any charges on this rice deal. She belongs to the same club as the ones coming after her. Their kids go to the same schools.

Good to see that they are attempting to move the rice stock pile.

[noitom]

Thais are extremely clever. They have many cards to play. Thais know how to play hardball and they have ample cards to play.

[Commerce]

Thais are extremely clever.