Apr 25, 2008
Crazy Happenings!: "”Malaysia, Thai leaders in food security talks”
By Jalil Hamid
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Thailand has no plans to restrict rice exports and the country will meet all export commitments, Wichianchot Sukchotrat, a Thai government spokesman said in the Malaysian capital on Thursday.
Malaysia and Thailand held talks on food security on Thursday and Malaysia is seeking assurances that its orders for 480,000 tonnes of rice from its neighbor, the world’s top rice exporter, will be delivered as planned.
Rice prices in Thailand surged to $1,000 a tonne on Thursday, presenting a bleak outlook for Asian nations battling inflation and food security concerns as regional governments worry about the prospect of rising prices spurring hoarding and social unrest.
Rice prices are nearly three times higher than at the start of the year following this week’s jump of more than five percent.
“We don’t need to restrict Thai exports because in the next few months, a new crop will come out and we have enough stock for the Thai people and also for exports, according to the agreements that we have signed,” Wichianchot told reporters.
Asked if Thailand would meet all export commitments, Wichianchot said, “We will meet them.”
He was speaking at a Thai restaurant in the Malaysian capital, where visiting Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej cooked up a mixed seafood dish for 40 dinner guests.
Earlier on Thursday, Malaysia’s foreign minister had said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would use a meeting with his Thai counterpart to urge that Thailand fill its neighbor’s orders for 480,000 tonnes of rice this year.
COOPERATION
But at a news conference after the talks, both prime ministers declined to take questions about their discussions, saying only that they had talked about food security.
“We also discussed how to strengthen our cooperation to ensure food security in the region,” Samak told reporters earlier in the day in the Malaysian administrative capital Putrajaya.
Asked if Malaysia planned to import more rice from Thailand this year, Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said, “We would like to fathom the Thai reaction first. For so long the 480,000 tonnes is not shifted, that is good enough to start with.”
The figure was equivalent to 60 percent of Malaysia’s rice imports, Rais said, but declined to say if Malaysia would buy more rice from Thailand.
Malaysia, which imports 650,000-700,000 tonnes of rice a year to satisfy annual needs of more than 2 million tonnes, announced plans at the weekend to open up large-scale rice farming and boost irrigation to meet growing demand and cut imports.
The governments in Thailand and number two exporter, Vietnam, have urged farmers to grow extra crops, although it will be several months before the additional supply hits the market.
The crisis started with India’s imposition of export curbs to protect domestic supplies last year, and was felt in the United States this week, with a few major retailers saying they had started to notice signs of panic buying. (Writing by Clarence Fernandez; Editing by David Fogarty)
By Jalil Hamid
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Thailand has no plans to restrict rice exports and the country will meet all export commitments, Wichianchot Sukchotrat, a Thai government spokesman said in the Malaysian capital on Thursday.
Malaysia and Thailand held talks on food security on Thursday and Malaysia is seeking assurances that its orders for 480,000 tonnes of rice from its neighbor, the world’s top rice exporter, will be delivered as planned.
Rice prices in Thailand surged to $1,000 a tonne on Thursday, presenting a bleak outlook for Asian nations battling inflation and food security concerns as regional governments worry about the prospect of rising prices spurring hoarding and social unrest.
Rice prices are nearly three times higher than at the start of the year following this week’s jump of more than five percent.
“We don’t need to restrict Thai exports because in the next few months, a new crop will come out and we have enough stock for the Thai people and also for exports, according to the agreements that we have signed,” Wichianchot told reporters.
Asked if Thailand would meet all export commitments, Wichianchot said, “We will meet them.”
He was speaking at a Thai restaurant in the Malaysian capital, where visiting Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej cooked up a mixed seafood dish for 40 dinner guests.
Earlier on Thursday, Malaysia’s foreign minister had said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would use a meeting with his Thai counterpart to urge that Thailand fill its neighbor’s orders for 480,000 tonnes of rice this year.
COOPERATION
But at a news conference after the talks, both prime ministers declined to take questions about their discussions, saying only that they had talked about food security.
“We also discussed how to strengthen our cooperation to ensure food security in the region,” Samak told reporters earlier in the day in the Malaysian administrative capital Putrajaya.
Asked if Malaysia planned to import more rice from Thailand this year, Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said, “We would like to fathom the Thai reaction first. For so long the 480,000 tonnes is not shifted, that is good enough to start with.”
The figure was equivalent to 60 percent of Malaysia’s rice imports, Rais said, but declined to say if Malaysia would buy more rice from Thailand.
Malaysia, which imports 650,000-700,000 tonnes of rice a year to satisfy annual needs of more than 2 million tonnes, announced plans at the weekend to open up large-scale rice farming and boost irrigation to meet growing demand and cut imports.
The governments in Thailand and number two exporter, Vietnam, have urged farmers to grow extra crops, although it will be several months before the additional supply hits the market.
The crisis started with India’s imposition of export curbs to protect domestic supplies last year, and was felt in the United States this week, with a few major retailers saying they had started to notice signs of panic buying. (Writing by Clarence Fernandez; Editing by David Fogarty)
