Voluntary Report - public distribution

**Date:** 8/17/2004

**GAIN Report Number:** TH4091

TH4091

**Thailand**

**Grain and Feed**

**Weekly Rice Price Update**

**2004**

**Approved by:**

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

U.S. Embassy, Bangkok

**Prepared by:**

Ponnarong Prasertsri, Agricultural Specialist

**Report Highlights:**

Export prices declined slightly due mainly to less aggressive loading
activity.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Unscheduled Report

Bangkok \[TH1\]

\[TH\]

**Indicative Prices (Week Ending Aug 16):**

  ------------ -------------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ -------- ------
  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   400            370    446    424    415    385    390    404      402

  WR 100 B     242            245    248    240    246    241    240    243      246

  PB 5%        254            248    253    255    257    261    240    253      255

  WR 5%        237            240    242    235    241    236    236    238      240

  WR 10%       235            235    237    232    239    234    232    235      237

  WR 15%       233            232    232    230    237    232    228    232      234

  WR 25%       230            229    231    225    230    225    224    228      229

  WR 35%       226            227    230    223    228    223    220    225      227

  A 1 SUP      212            210    221    212    212    210    207    212      216

  A 1 SPEC     211            209    220    210    210    \-     206    211      215

                                                                                 

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

**Market Tone**

Export prices for most grades of rice declined slightly due mainly to
the slowdown in loading activity. The pending shipments of white rice to
Iran and Iraq are reportedly done. Also, trade sources reported that the
shipment of parboiled rice for African countries, in particular Nigeria,
slowed down in response to the concern over current high freight cost.
Moreover, the weakening Thai Baht, to around 41.6 Baht/US\$, as compared
to the average of 41.5 Baht/US\$ in the previous week, partly eased the
quotations. However, domestic prices remained high, following the
government's intervention prices, which are higher than the previous
year's prices by about 1,000 baht/ton.

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

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

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

  JUN 27       179,774        177,860        3,463         2,080

  JUL 4        210,928        187,739        3,674         2,184

  JUL 11       161,618        183,459        3,836         2,287

  JUL 18       178,271        182,648        4,014         2,413

  JUL 25       197,424        187,060        4,212         2,524

  AUG 1        188,845        181,539        4,400         2,658

  AUG 8        146,493        177,758        4,547         2,799

  AUG 15       125,322        164,521        4,672         2,912
  ------------ -------------- -------------- ------------- ---------------

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. 9-15, 2004 totaled
125,322 tons, down 21,171 tons from the previous week's total and down
39,199 tons from the four-week moving average of 164,521 tons. Exports
during Jan. 1 -- Aug. 15, 2004 totaled 4,672,171 tons, compared with
2,912,204 tons during the same period in 2003.

According to the Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce,
total rice exports (including fragrant rice) during Jan. 1- Jul. 31,
2004, amounted to 5,629,362 tons, up 43 percent from the same period in
the previous year.

**Weekly Rice Sales**

Private registered rice export sales for the period of Jul. 26-30, Aug.
2-6, and Aug. 9-13, 2004 are as follows:

  -------------------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------
  Movement (MT)        Jul. 26-30       Aug. 2-6         Aug. 9-13

                                                         

  weekly sales         173,052          25,845           96,714

  4 week sum           753,926          579,960          499,558

  4 week mov. avg.     188,482          144,990          124,890

  Total weekly sales   5,216,488        5,242,333        5,339,047
  -------------------- ---------------- ---------------- ----------------

End of Report.