Required Report - public distribution

**Date:** 5/16/2006

**GAIN Report Number:** TH6049

TH6049

**Thailand**

**Grain and Feed**

**Weekly Rice Price Update**

**2006**

**Approved by:**

![](media/image1.wmf)Rodrick McSherry, Agricultural Counselor

U.S. Embassy, Bangkok

**Prepared by:**

Sakchai Preechajarn, Agricultural Specialist

**Report Highlights:**

Export prices for most grades of rice has continued to firm due to
increasing domestic prices.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Trade Report

Bangkok \[TH1\]

\[TH\]

**Indicative Prices (Week Ending May 15):**

  ------------ -------------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ -------- -------
  Thailand:                                                                      
  Export (FOB)                                                                   
  Prices for                                                                     
  various                                                                        
  grades of                                                                      
  rice                                                                           
  (USD/M.T.)                                                                     

               Exporter                                                 Period   
               Observations                                             Avg.     

               #1             #2     #3     #4     #5     #6     #7     CUR.     PRV.

  F WR 100 B   482            N/a    472    N/a    495    460    500    482      480

  WR 100 B     315            N/a    317    N/a    320    314    315    316      311

  PB 5%        304            N/a    302    N/a    306    301    300    303      300

  WR 5%        310            N/a    307    N/a    312    308    310    309      305

  WR 10%       304            N/a    304    N/a    308    304    305    305      300

  WR 15%       296            N/a    295    N/a    297    290    295    295      292

  WR 25%       272            N/a    275    N/a    275    268    280    274      274

  WR 35%       270            N/a    \-     N/a    \-     266    \-     268      272

  A 1 SUP      232            N/a    230    N/a    220    228    215    225      221

  A 1 SPEC     230            N/a    228    N/a    218    \-     213    222      220

  Source:                                                                        
  Average                                                                        
  actual                                                                         
  prices                                                                         
  received                                                                       
  from                                                                           
  exporters                                                                      
  ------------ -------------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ -------- -------

**Market Tone**

Export prices for most grades of rice have continued to increase due
mainly to increasing domestic prices and a rumor that a few exporters
were able to conclude sales of 250,000 tons to Iran this week. Domestic
prices firmed as a result of tight supply availabilities and the
Government's practice to hold huge amount of white rice and fragrant
rice in the intervention stock.

The following are the reported rice exports (as is basis)**:**

  ---------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ------------ ------------
  WEEK       QUANTITY    4-WK AVG    YEAR TO     YEAR AGO     YEAR TO DATE
  ENDING                             DATE                     AS % OF LAST
                                                              YEAR

             (MT)        (MT)        (TMT)       (TMT)        \%

  MAR 26     85,814      81,032      1,062       1,322        -19.7

  APR 2      81,681      78,984      1,144       1,444        -20.8

  APR 9      76,558      80,007      1,220       1,527        -20.1

  APR 16     66,847      77,725      1,287       1,598        -19.4

  APR 23     103,185     82,068      1,390       1,721        -19.2

  APR 30     105,690     88,070      1,496       1,847        -19.0

  MAY 7      111,369     96,773      1,607       1,947        -17.4

  MAY 16     100,083     105,082     1,707       2,042        -16.4
  ---------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ------------ ------------

Note on data: Export figures since March 22, 2002, do not include
fragrant rice. The authority to report fragrant rice exports was moved
from the Thai Board of Trade to the Ministry of Commerce's Office of
Commodity Standards, which does not release official fragrant rice
export data. FAS/BKK will report only official export numbers from the
Board of Trade for non-fragrant and from the Office of Commodity
Standards for fragrant rice when available, but the reader should bear
in mind the difference between the data.

Unofficial exports (excluding fragrant rice) for May 8-14, 2006 totaled
100,083 tons, down 11,286 tons from the previous week's total, and down
4,999 tons from the four-week moving average of 105,082 tons. Exports
during Jan. 1 -- May 14, 2006 totaled 1,707,541 tons, as compared with
2,042,192 tons in the previous year.

According to the Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce,
total rice exports (including fragrant rice) during Jan. 1 -- Apr. 27,
2006, amounted to 2,313,429 tons, down 4 percent from 2,413,531 tons in
the previous year.

**Weekly Rice Sales**

Private registered rice export sales for the period of Apr. 24-28, May
1-5, and May 8-12, 2006 are as follows:

  ------------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----------------
  Movement (MT)       Apr. 24-28        May 1-5           May 8-12

  weekly sales        202,700           85,869            147,121

  4 week sum          595,464           458,538           508,952

  4 week mov. avg.    148,866           114,635           127,238

  Total weekly sales  2,092,497         2,178,366         2,325,487
  ------------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----------------

End of Report.