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Thailand’s rice exports lag last year as government rolls out aid
June 2026 cumulative exports totaled 2.43 million tonnes, down 24% year over year, even as Thailand approved a 10.2 billion baht support package to stabilize paddy prices.
Thailand’s rice exports are running behind last year’s pace, with June 2026 cumulative volumes at 2.43 million tonnes, down 24% versus the same period in 2025, according to data cited in a US Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service update.
The report attributes the wider gap to falling sales tied to the Middle East conflict, though it notes June results slightly improved from an early-May 29% year-on-year shortfall as El Niño-driven stockpiling by Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries accelerated weekly shipments and lifted prices.
Thailand, the world’s second-largest rice exporter behind India, is forecast by the FAS to ship 7.3 million tonnes in marketing year 2026 to 2027, unchanged from 2025 to 2026 but down 580,000 tonnes from 2024 to 2025, while world rice prices broadly increased amid El Niño-related food security demand and tighter near-term supply across several origins.
To respond, Thailand’s National Rice Policy and Management Committee approved a 10.2 billion baht ($314 million) package on June 12, including an 8.43 billion baht price stabilization program and a 1.76 billion baht structural reform initiative involving storage and premium-rice promotion, plus up to 960,000 tonnes in government-to-government sales to China and market-development efforts targeting Asia, Africa, and Latin America, the FAS said.