Thailand's Commerce Ministry is negotiating with a state-run Chinese food processing holding company, which has been designated to import 500,000 tons of Thai rice under a government-to-government deal announced recently.
Arada Fuangthong, Director-General of the ministry’s Department of Foreign Trade, told the media that her team has started discussing the details with COFCO Corporation regarding strains, types, prices and shipment periods.
She noted that the ongoing talks followed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s announcement, made during a historic state visit to Beijing by Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand between November 13th and 17th to mark the 50th anniversary of Sino-Thai diplomatic relations.
She said that the deal is expected to not only boost the prices of Thai rice, but also the country’s overall exports of grain in 2025 to above the official target of 7.5 million tons.
According to the Thai Rice Exporters Association, overall shipments of Thai rice to the world market have reached 6.7 million tons so far this year.
Arada projected that Thailand’s total exports of rice should be even higher in 2026, thanks mainly to the good quality of Thai grain and rising global de
