Voluntary Report - public distribution

**Date:** 12/6/2005

**GAIN Report Number:** TH5125

TH5125

**Thailand**

**Grain and Feed**

**Weekly Rice Price Update**

**2005**

**Approved by:**

Russ Nicely, Agricultural ![](media/image1.wmf)Attache

U.S. Embassy, Bangkok

**Prepared by:**

Ponnarong Prasertsri, Agricultural Specialist

**Report Highlights:**

Export prices declined slightly, except for premium white rice prices.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Unscheduled Report

Bangkok \[TH1\]

\[TH\]

**Indicative Prices (Week Ending Dec. 6):**

  ------------ -------------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ -------- -------
  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   405            \-     402    \-     400    385    380    394      402

  WR 100 B     284            \-     285    \-     284    283    285    284      283

  PB 5%        280            \-     277    \-     277    282    275    278      275

  WR 5%        280            \-     280    \-     278    277    280    279      278

  WR 10%       275            \-     276    \-     275    274    275    275      273

  WR 15%       265            \-     272    \-     263    262    270    266      269

  WR 25%       253            \-     257    \-     249    249    265    255      258

  WR 35%       250            \-     \-     \-     247    247    260    251      256

  A 1 SUP      210            \-     208    \-     214    206    205    209      211

  A 1 SPEC     208            \-     206    \-     212    \-     203    207      209

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

**Market Tone**

Export prices for most grades of rice were offered lower, except for
premium white rice prices which continued to increase. Trade sources
reported that exporters are still securing premium white rice to fulfill
outstanding contracts with North Korea. In additions, regular foreign
buyers in African countries reportedly inquired about premium white rice
for delivery in the first quarter of next year. Also, the government
actively bought white rice paddy for the intervention program.
Meanwhile, fragrant white rice prices continued to decline in response
to anticipated bumper crops.

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

  ------------ -------------- -------------- ------------- ---------------
  WEEK ENDING  QUANTITY       4-WK AVG       YEAR TO DATE  YEAR AGO

               (MT)           (MT)           (TMT)         (TMT)

  OCT 16       68,270         85,863         4,031         6,157

  OCT 23       122,072        94,124         4,153         6,372

  OCT 30       112,639        95,062         4,266         6,606

  NOV 6        107,505        102,622        4,374         6,789

  NOV 13       61,330         100,886        4,435         6,959

  NOV 20       81,073         90,637         4,516         7,095

  NOV 27       72,224         80,533         4,588         7,251

  DEC 4        89,714         76,085         4,678         7,423
  ------------ -------------- -------------- ------------- ---------------

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 Nov. 28 -- Dec. 4, 2005
totaled 89,714 tons, up 17,490 tons from the previous week's total and
up 13,629 tons from the four-week moving average of 76,085 tons. Exports
during Jan. 1 -- Dec. 4, 2005 amounted to 4,677,884 tons, as compared
with 7,422,992 tons in the previous year.

According to the Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce,
total rice exports (including fragrant rice) during Jan. 1 -- Nov. 23,
2005, amounted to 6,515,334 tons, down 28 percent from 9,068,208 tons in
the previous year.

**Weekly Rice Sales**

Private registered rice export sales for the period of Nov. 14-18, Nov.
21-25, and\
Nov. 28 -- Dec. 2, 2005 are as follows:

  ------------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----------------
  Movement (MT)       Nov. 14-18        Nov. 21-25        Nov. 28 -- Dec.2

  weekly sales        72,431            95,202            151,150

  4 week sum          310,642           348,167           403,276

  4 week mov. avg.    77,661            87,042            100,819

  Total weekly sales  4,769,178         4,864,380         5,015,530
  ------------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----------------

End of Report.