Thailand remained the world's second-largest rice exporter after India in the first eight months of this year, with exports down almost 11% last month, according to exporters.
From January to August, Thailand shipped 6.06 million tonnes of rice worth 96.23 billion, up 2.9% year-on-year by volume and 1.4% by value.
The largest markets during the period were Benin (11% of total volume), China (9%), Ivory Coast (8.4%), South Africa (6.2%) and Indonesia (5.8%).
By comparison, India shipped 6.71 million tonnes in the same period. The third largest exporter was Vietnam, which shipped 3.12 million tonnes.
In August, exports fell 10.7% year-on-year but jumped 40% from the previous month as African buyers returned, the trade body said.
The country shipped 622,630 tonnes worth 10.4 billion baht during the month.
The association foresaw exports of 600,000-700,000 tonnes in September as exporters have to deliver rice to the Philippines and fill more orders placed by African buyers.
