Required Report - public distribution

**Date:** 6/5/2007

**GAIN Report Number:** TH7072

TH7072

**Thailand**

**Grain and Feed**

**Weekly Rice Price Update**

**2007**

**Approved by:**

Corey Pickelsimer, Agricultural ![](media/image1.wmf)Attaché

U.S. Embassy, Bangkok

**Prepared by:**

Ponnarong Prasertsri, Agricultural Specialist

**Report Highlights:**

Export and domestic prices continued to increase as new enquiries arose
from Iran, Indonesia, and Iraq.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Unscheduled Report

Bangkok \[TH1\]

\[TH\]

**Indicative Prices (Week Ending Jun 4):**

  ------------- -------------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ -------- -------
  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    566            560    550    540    \-     540    540    549      555

  WR 100 B      330            333    330    328    \-     337    327    331      327

  PB 5%         320            340    327    323    \-     335    320    328      322

  WR 5%         325            325    323    322    \-     328    322    324      321

  WR 10%        320            322    319    319    \-     324    317    320      316

  WR 15%        314            313    310    316    \-     318    312    314      310

  WR 25%        297            297    296    310    \-     299    307    301      299

  WR 35%        294            \-     \-     \-     \-     294    \-     294      276

  A 1 SUP       256            \-     260    257    \-     258    260    258      255

  A 1 SPEC      253            \-     258    254    \-     \-     257    256      253

  Source:                                                                         
  Average                                                                         
  actual prices                                                                   
  received from                                                                   
  exporters,                                                                      
  Exchange                                                                        
  rate: 34.4                                                                      
  baht/U.S.\$                                                                     
  ------------- -------------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ -------- -------

###### Market Tone

Export and domestic prices of white rice continued to increase by 1-2
percent as new enquiries arose from Iran and Indonesia for new
Government-to-Government deals, and from Iraq for private deals. Thai
exporters expect to win a significant portion of the June 6 Philippines
tender of 300,000 tons of 25 percent grade white rice as their main
competitor, Vietnam, struggles with tight domestic supplies. In
addition, the longer delivery period of June -- August will enable Thai
rice exporters to better manage shipments, as current tight vessel
schedules should relax in time for delivery of the Philippine tender.

**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)        \%

  APR 15     102,607     108,909     1,365       1,284        6.3

  APR 22     139,814     116,470     1,505       1,387        8.5

  APR 29     128,809     122,735     1,633       1,490        9.6

  MAY 6      68,962      110,048     1,702       1,601        6.4

  MAY 13     111,342     112,232     1,814       1,704        6.4

  MAY 20     107,584     104,175     1,921       1,833        4.8

  MAY 27     127,037     103,732     2,048       1,933        6.0

  JUN 3      108,036     113,500     2,156       2,063        4.5
  ---------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ------------ ------------

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 28 -- Jun. 3, 2007
totaled 108,036 tons, down 19,001 tons from the previous week's total,
and down 5,464 tons from the four-week moving average of 113,500 tons.
Export during Jan. 1 -- Jun 3, 2007 totaled 2,156,399 tons, as compared
with 2,062,867 tons in the previous year.

According to the Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce,
total rice exports (including fragrant rice) during Jan. 1 -- May 24,
2007, amounted to 3,202,052 tons, up 12.5 percent from 2,846,168 tons in
the previous year.

**Weekly Rice Sales**

Private registered rice export sales for the period of May 14-18, May
21-25, and\
May 28 -- Jun 1, 2007 are as follows:

  ------------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----------------
  Movement (MT)       May 14-18         May 21-25         May 28 -- Jun 1

  Weekly sales        154,945           128,349           140,387

  4 week sum          380,063           395,819           472,712

  4 week mov. avg.    95,016            98,955            118,178

  Total weekly sales  2,211,694         2,340,043         2,480,430
  ------------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----------------

End of Report.