Only broken milled rice imports would be permitted under stringent
measures being planned to cushion the impact of the Asean Free
Trade Agreement (Afta), which came into effect early this
month.
Imports could be restricted to two periods when Thai rice is not
available, from May to July and from March to October, said
Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai, who chaired a meeting of a
panel to manage rice imports under Afta yesterday.
In addition, rice would be imported only at five border checkpoints
where customs officers and officials from the Agriculture Ministry
and Food and Drug Administration would enforce stringent plant
quarantine and sanitary standards - Aranyaprathet at Sa Kaeo, Nong
Khai and Mae Sai in Chiang Rai, Mae Sot in Tak, and Ranong.
Klong Toey port would also carry out rigorous inspections.
The measures would come into effect immediately after winning
approval from the national rice policy committee and the cabinet,
said Mrs Porntiva.
"The government is now preparing stringent measures to control rice
imports, despite the tariff being brought down to zero," she
said.
"We also have special safeguard measures against imports and plan
precautions to shield businesses and farmers from the fall in farm
product prices after tariffs are cut under the Asean Free Trade
Area (Afta) from early this month."
Thai rice prices, used as a benchmark across Asia, gained 2.9% this
week in line with an increase in domestic prices and the
strengthening of the baht, according to the Thai Rice Exporters
Association, which meets each Wednesday to set prices.
The price of 100% grade-B white rice was set yesterday at $607 a
tonne, compared with $590 a tonne on Dec 23. The price reached
2009's high of $644 a tonne last March.
In related development, the Philippines has agreed to import
370,000 tonnes of rice from Thailand, said Mrs Porntiva. The grain
would be imported duty-free, she added.