Thai rice exporters have voiced support for the decision to ban three toxic chemicals used for agriculture, saying importing countries have tightened orders for agricultural products based on food safety.
Thai Rice Exporters Association Chairman Charoen Laothamatas said the association agreed with the government's ban on two herbicides, paraquat and glyphosate and chlorpyrifos insecticides, and asked farmers to adjust by reducing the use of those chemicals.
Charoen was quoted by local media as saying that many rice buyers had tightened consumer protections. If Thai farmers do not enforce the above ban or reduce their use of chemicals, rice exports will be affected, as global rice consumption is shifting towards non-chemical products.
The Association's Honorary President, Chookiat Ophaswongse, said several countries, including the US and Japan, as well as European Union (EU) members, had passed new laws to protect protect consumers and tighten food safety regulations for chemical residues, especially in agricultural products.
Specifically, for rice, the above countries require no residual chemicals or residues at least. For example, Japan has reduced the limit of chemical residues for rice from a concentration of 0.05 per parts per million (ppm) to 0.01 ppm.
Mr. Chookiat cited samples from Japanese inspection company OMIC showing that none of Thailand's rice meets strict Japanese food safety requirements.
According to Mr. Chookiat, Thailand is requesting a waiver, but it is unclear whether it will be accepted or not. Thai farmers need to switch to safer food production and non-chemical products. All agricultural exports will be affected if future inspection detects products containing chemicals imported from Thailand.
The ban on the use of three sets of chemicals paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos took effect in December 2019. However, some farmers have asked the Administrative Court to order the suspension of the ban, and have asked the National Committee for Dangerous Substances to reconsider the ban.
These farmers want to clarify the options they will have to kill weeds after the ban goes into effect. They are also concerned that these alternatives may be expensive and increase overall costs. The Administrative Court rejected the proposal.
Thailand exported a total of 11.09 million tons of rice in 2018, down from 11.67 million tons in 2017, but more than 9.91 million tons in 2016.
Thai rice export turnover in 2018 increased by 8.3% compared to 2017, reaching US $ 5.61 billion, much higher than the US $ 4.4 billion of 2016. Thai rice export price reached an average US $ 507 / ton in 2018, an increase of 14.1% compared to 2017.
Thailand's rice exports in 2019 are forecast to reach only about 8-8.1 million tons, down 3.5 million tons compared to 2018 and lower than the newly lowered target of 9 million tons.
Meanwhile, several consecutive droughts and floods in Northern Thailand are likely to reduce the rice production by about 488,000 tons in this region during the 2019-2020 season, including white and sticky rice. It is forecasted to be 405,000 tons, the remaining is Thai flavored rice (Hom Mali).
According to a report from 20 provinces in Northern Thailand, the output of paddy harvested in the main crop of 2019-2020 is estimated at 12.7 million tons, compared to 13.2 million tons compared to the previous crop.
The widespread epidemic is also believed to contribute to the decline in production of white and flavored rice, especially in Surin province. Rice production in Northeast Thailand usually accounts for about 37% of the country's total output.
According to VNA
