“Suchart” Opens Thai Rice Networking Forum 2024 Driving “Local RICE, Global FOOD” Campaign To Propel Rice Export to Exceed This Year’s Target

“Suchart” Opens Thai Rice Networking Forum 2024

Driving “Local RICE, Global FOOD” Campaign

To Propel Rice Export to Exceed This Year’s Target

Thailand’s Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce, hosted the Thai Rice Networking Forum 2024 under the theme “Local RICE…Global FOOD: Thai Rice to the World”. The event held from September 17-19, 2024, at Centara Grand Hotel at CentralWorld, welcomed business partners, trade representatives, importers, exporters, and experts in rice production and trade from around the world. The forum provided an opportunity to exchange data and knowledge, discuss production and trade conditions, and explore market outlooks to further drive the rice industry and ensure global food security.

During the opening ceremony on September 18, 2024, Deputy Minister of Commerce

Mr. Suchart Chomklin representing Minister of Commerce Mr. Pichai Naripthaphan, disclosed that “Thai Rice Networking Forum 2024” is the first international rice forum held. The forum reaffirmed Thailand's leadership as a leading producer and exporter of high-quality rice and rice products. It also serves to highlight Thailand’s pivotal role in catering to diverse consumer preferences while addressing and ensuring global food security crisis. Moreover, the event aimed to boost confidence among trade partners regarding Thailand’s policies on the development of rice and rice products, and on the promotion of premium Thai rice and the soft power of Thai cuisine on the global stage.

Throughout the day, the forum featured a series of seminars and discussions on the global rice export situation, rice production trends, and insights from distinguished guest speakers. These rice trade and production experts represented major rice-exporting countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, India and Myanmar. A presentation on opportunities and challenges in the global rice industry in 2025 was also given by an expert in global rice market analysis.

Another highlight was the discussion on “Premium Thai Rice: Soft Power of Thai Food in the Global Market”, featuring celebrity chef M.L. Sirichalerm Svasti, also known as Chef McDang. He was joined by famous actress-cum-environmentalist Ms. Cherry Khemupsorn Sirisukha who founded and owns the “Sirithai” brand of organic rice cultivated by local farmers. Capping off the day was a business matching session which offered opportunities for Thai rice exporters to connect with importers from various countries and discuss potential deals which would lead to concrete business transactions and generate better income for stakeholders across Thailand’s rice supply chain, especially rice farmers.

Thailand’s rice exports have shown a positive trend. In the first seven months of 2024 (January - July), Thailand exported 5.68 million tons of rice, an increase of 21.97 percent compared to the same period last year, with a value of 132.40 billion baht (approximately 3.7 billion US dollars), a 50.97 percent increase compared to the same period the previous year. This growth is driven by rice importers seeking to secure rice for both consumption and stockpiling for food security with India continuing to enforce rice export control measures, it is likely that Thai rice exports will exceed the projected target of 8.20 million tons in 2024.

For more information on global rice industry outlook and insights discussed at the Thai Rice Networking Forum 2024, please visit the Department of Foreign Trade's Facebook page.

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