Required Report - public distribution

**Date:** 8/10/2007

**GAIN Report Number:** TH7109

TH0000

**Thailand**

**Grain and Feed**

**Weekly Rice Price Update**

**2007**

**Approved by:**

![](media/image1.wmf)Gary Meyer, Agricultural Counselor

U.S. Embassy, Bangkok

**Prepared by:**

Ponnarong Prasertsri, Agricultural Specialist

**Report Highlights:**

Despite a continued weakening Thai bath, export prices were offered
\$1-2/MT higher due to an increase in domestic prices as exporters are
fulfilling outstanding shipments to Iran, Iraq, and African countries.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Unscheduled Report

Bangkok \[TH1\]

\[TH\]

**Indicative Prices (Week Ending Aug. 14):**

  ------------- -------------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ -------- -------
  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    563            570    \-     544    580    545    550    559      560

  WR 100 B      338            340    \-     333    332    336    332    335      334

  PB 5%         330            348    \-     329    328    334    325    332      332

  WR 5%         330            335    \-     328    325    327    327    329      328

  WR 10%        324            330    \-     325    320    324    322    324      324

  WR 15%        315            325    \-     322    315    317    317    319      318

  WR 25%        303            305    \-     316    310    304    312    308      306

  WR 35%        300            \-     \-     \-     \-     299    \-     300      298

  A 1 SUP       270            \-     \-     258    265    268    265    265      263

  A 1 SPEC      267            \-     \-     255    262    \-     262    262      259

  Source:                                                                         
  Average                                                                         
  actual prices                                                                   
  received from                                                                   
  exporters,                                                                      
  Exchange                                                                        
  rate: 34.0                                                                      
  baht/U.S.\$                                                                     
  ------------- -------------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ -------- -------

###### Market Tone

Despite a continued weakening Thai baht (up to 34 baht/\$U.S. this week
compared 33.7 baht/\$U.S. last week), export price were offered higher
by \$1-2/MT. The increase reflected continued surge in domestic prices
of white rice, particularly in premium white rice, which increased 2
percent from the previous week. Exporters are aggressively buying
premium white rice to fill contracted shipments to Iran under
Government-to-Government deals. In addition, exporters are securing 5%
grade white rice for private shipments to Iraq. Meanwhile, domestic
prices of broken white rice also increased significantly. Exporters are
working to fill pending shipments to African countries. Broken white
rice prices will likely remain at high levels until the end of the year
due to limited exportable supplies of major competitors like Vietnam.

**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)        \%

  JUN 24     108,536     115,210     2,509       2,379        5.5

  JUL 1      92,127      111,233     2,601       2,448        6.2

  JUL 8      91,843      101,972     2,693       2,534        6.3

  JUL 15     110,982     100,872     2,804       2,613        7.3

  JUL 22     97,823      98,194      2,902       2,713        7.0

  JUL 29     93,085      98,433      2,995       2,800        7.0

  AUG 5      84,102      96,498      3,079       2,859        7.7

  AUG 12     100,989     94,000      3,180       2,913        9.2
  ---------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ------------ ------------

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 Aug. 6-12, 2007 totaled
100,989 tons, up 16,887 tons from the previous week's total, and up
6,989 tons from the four-week moving average of 94,000 tons. Export
during Jan. 1 -- Aug. 12, 2007 totaled 3,180,154 tons, as compared with
2,913,246 tons in the previous year.

According to the Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce,
total rice exports (including fragrant rice) during Jan. 1 -- Jul. 31,
2007, amounted to 4,689,778 tons, up 9.8 percent from 4,269,485 tons in
the previous year.

**Weekly Rice Sales**

Private registered rice export sales for the period of Jul. 23-27, Jul.
30 -- Aug. 3, and\
Aug. 6-10, 2007 are as follows:

  ------------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----------------
  Movement (MT)       Jul. 23-27        Jul. 30 -- Aug. 3 Aug. 6-10
                                                          (Preliminary)

  Weekly sales        75,442            53,418            82,185

  4 week sum          382,325           363,943           317,243

  4 week mov. avg.    95,581            90,986            79,311

  Total weekly sales  3,257,203         3,310,621         3,392,806
  ------------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----------------

End of Report.