tonnes, down 20.67 per cent year-on-year, worth US4.06 billion, down
25.91 per cent, Commerce Minister Pornthiva Nakasai said on Wednesday.
Mrs Pornthiva attributed the declining in rice exports to the global
economic crisis but said Thailand is still the world's largest rice
exporter with about 30 per cent market share.
Commerce permanent secretary Yanyong Puangraj said that under the Asean
free trade agreement, from Jan 1, 2010, all import tariffs on rice will
be removed.
He was confident the tax reduction would not have any effect on the
domestic rice market as prices of local rice and those in neighbouring
countries were not much different.
He did not expect rice from nearby countries to flood Thai rice market,
as some people fear.
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