Thailand exported 4.75 million tonnes of rice during the first seven months of this year, up 53% compared to the same period last year, said government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri on Sunday.
The government is certain it will reach its 7.5-million-tonne export target by the end of 2022.
Speaking at a media gathering, Mr Anucha said the National Rice Policy and Management Committee had reported that Thailand emerged as the second biggest rice exporter in the world after India, which exported about 11.23 million tonnes of rice from January to August this year.
Vietnam is third on the list, having exported 4.25 million tonnes of rice, followed by Pakistan (2.47 million tonnes) and the United States (1.49 million tonnes).
Thailand's rice exports have risen from 3.10 million tonnes during the first seven months of 2021 to 4.75 million tonnes this year, said Mr Anucha.
One of the reasons he cited was the weak baht which has made Thai rice more competitive. In addition, demand for Thai rice has increased among Central and West Asian countries, especially Iraq.
Thailand exported more than 100,000 tonnes monthly to Iraq during the first seven months of the year, making Iraq the biggest importer of Thai rice, he said.
Other big markets were China, Japan and the Philippines. When classified by continents, the largest importer was Africa (29.8%), followed by the Middle East (26.8%), Asia (23.2%), the Americas (12.9%), Europe (4.4%) and Oceania (2.6%).
He said the Ukraine-Russian war also helped increase demand for Thai rice because some countries were trying to avoid high wheat and corn prices by buying more Thai rice for the animal feed industry.
"As the Covid-19 pandemic has subsided, the Thai rice industry has more opportunities to thrive," said Mr Anucha.
