Voluntary Report - public distribution

**Date:** 10/18/2005

**GAIN Report Number:** TH5106

TH5016

**Thailand**

**Grain and Feed**

**Weekly Rice Price Update**

**2005**

**Approved by:**

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

U.S. Embassy, Bangkok

**Prepared by:**

Ponnarong Prasertsri, Agricultural Specialist

**Report Highlights:**

Export prices changed insignificantly. Most white rice prices remained
at high levels. Meanwhile, fragrant rice prices were under downward
pressure.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Unscheduled Report

Bangkok \[TH1\]

\[TH\]

**Indicative Prices (Week Ending Oct. 17):**

  ------------ -------------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ -------- -------
  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   420            385    412    431    410    395    420    410      411

  WR 100 B     295            297    293    295    292    292    290    293      293

  PB 5%        288            290    294    297    292    293    290    292      291

  WR 5%        290            292    286    290    286    286    285    288      288

  WR 10%       285            284    281    287    283    283    280    283      283

  WR 15%       275            281    274    285    274    272    275    277      276

  WR 25%       263            269    268    283    260    259    270    267      266

  WR 35%       261            \-     \-     278    258    257    265    264      263

  A 1 SUP      222            223    222    224    219    221    214    221      220

  A 1 SPEC     219            221    220    222    217    \-     212    219      218

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

**Market Tone**

Export prices for most grades of rice changed insignificantly. Despite
quiet foreign demand for Thai white rice, most white rice prices
remained unchanged at high levels due to current tight domestic supplies
of white rice paddy. Foreign buyers reportedly shifted to relatively
cheaper Indian rice, following its current new crop supplies. Meanwhile,
some exporters lowered the export prices of fragrant rice in
anticipation of more stock release from millers, as bumper new crop is
expected, particularly in the middle of next month when its supplies
will likely be more available, due to good weather conditions.

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)

  AUG 28       102,361        96,225         3,465         4,955

  SEP 4        65,380         89,954         3,530         5,049

  SEP 11       64,420         82,582         3,595         5,166

  SEP 18       93,267         81,357         3,688         5,336

  SEP 25       89,027         78,023         3,777         5,555

  OCT 2        108,888        88,900         3,886         5,753

  OCT 9        77,267         92,112         3,963         5,951

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

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 Oct. 10-16, 2005
totaled 68,270 tons, down 8,997 tons from the previous week's total and
down 17,593 tons from the four-week moving average of 85,863 tons.
Exports during Jan. 1 -- Oct. 16, 2005 amounted to 4,031,328 tons, as
compared with 6,157,138 tons in the previous year.

According to the Department of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Commerce,
total rice exports (including fragrant rice) during Jan. 1 -- Sep. 30,
2005, amounted to 5,463,264 tons, down 25 percent from 7,245,025 tons in
the previous year.

**Weekly Rice Sales**

Private registered rice export sales for the period of Sep. 26 -- 30,
Oct. 3-7, and\
Oct. 10-14, 2005 are as follows:

  ------------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----------------
  Movement (MT)       Sep. 26-30        Oct. 3-7          Oct. 10-14

  weekly sales        90,979            46,697            159,820

  4 week sum          427,834           404,166           443,709

  4 week mov. avg.    106,959           101,042           110,927

  Total weekly sales  4,101,358         4,148,055         4,307,875
  ------------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----------------

End of Report.