Thai first-half rice exports fall 18.81% as 7m-tonne target remains
Thailand exported 3.28 million tonnes of rice in the first half of 2026, down 18.8% amid intense competition and Middle East disruptions. The government is targeting Malaysia, the Philippines and Africa while aiming to achieve its 7-million-tonne export target.
Arada Fuangtong, director-general of the Department of Foreign Trade, reported that Thailand exported 3.28 million tonnes of rice in the first six months of 2026, from January to June, down 18.81% from the same period a year earlier.
Shipments were worth more than US$1.911 billion.
She attributed the decline to ample rice supplies on the global market, which intensified price competition, as well as conflict in the Middle East, which had disrupted Thai rice exports to Iraq since March 2026.
Thai export prices were also higher than those of other exporting countries because of production and transport costs, together with energy costs and rising oil prices.
Thai white rice was priced at US$447 per tonne, compared with US$435 per tonne for Vietnamese white rice, US$405 per tonne for Pakistani white rice and US$367 per tonne for Indian white rice.
White rice accounted for 1.51 million tonnes, or 46.03% of exports.
Thai Hom Mali rice, also known as Thai jasmine rice, made up 0.81 million tonnes, or 24.67%.
Parboiled rice totalled 0.61 million tonnes, or 18.69%, while other Thai fragrant rice accounted for 0.23 million tonnes, or 6.97%.
Glutinous rice, commonly known as sticky rice, represented 0.11 million tonnes, or 3.31%.
Brown rice accounted for 0.01 million tonnes, or 0.33%.
Arada noted that although the global rice market remained highly competitive because of abundant production, the prospect of drought caused by El Niño had led many rice-importing countries to consider increasing imports to manage the risk and strengthen domestic food security.
This was a positive sign for Thai exports over the remaining five months and would allow full-year shipments to meet the 7-million-tonne target, 15% below the 8.3 million tonnes exported in 2025.
Potential markets to replace Iraq as a destination for Thai rice exports included Malaysia and the Philippines in Asia, as well as South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique in Africa.
These markets imported more rice from Thailand than in the same period a year earlier, reflecting confidence in Thailand’s capacity as an important global producer and exporter of quality rice.
The ability to deliver contracted rice in line with buyers’ schedules, together with the government’s stable rice export policy, constituted a competitive advantage for Thai rice.
The department also stressed its proactive policy of promoting Thai rice exports.
It would step up ongoing efforts to develop markets and drive Thai rice exports across several regions, reducing the risks of reliance on any one market and generating orders to absorb Thai rice output.
These efforts would be advanced through public- and private-sector mechanisms.
The department would accelerate negotiations to promote rice sales under a government-to-government (G-to-G) arrangement involving COFCO and the Chinese government.
It was also scheduled to lead a public- and private-sector delegation to meet major rice importers in the Philippines and Malaysia from Sunday (August 2, 2026) to Thursday (August 6, 2026) to build confidence and promote Thai rice exports.
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Source : Nation Thailand
