Thailand and Vietnam have agreed to cooperate to raise the price of rice on the world market, following months of talks aimed in part at improving farm incomes, a Thai official said on Monday.
“This is (…) the first time that Thailand and Vietnam (…) agree to cooperate to increase the price of rice on the world market“, Alongkorn Ponlaboot, adviser to the Thai Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, said in a statement on Monday following a new round of talks with Vietnamese officials.
Thailand and Vietnam have started discussions in May. A Thai spokesman said at the time that the aim was to increase the price of their respective rice exports, increase their influence in the global market and increase farmers’ incomes.
The two countries together account for regarding 10% of global raw rice production and regarding 26% of global exports, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
No date has been mentioned for the entry into force of the new tariffs.
Alongkorn Ponlaboot pointed out that a summary of the latest round of talks and the recommendation to jointly raise prices would be presented to the two countries’ agriculture ministers at an unspecified date.
“Will the goal be achieved or not? I can not answer. But today we took our first steps together as strategic partners in agriculture“said the Thai adviser.
The Vietnam Food Association and Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development did not immediately respond to a Archyde.com request for comment.
