The government expects to deliver between 900,000 and 1 million tonnes from rice stocks by year-end through government-to-government (G-to-G) contracts.
A rice farmer inspects his crop. The National Rice Policy Committee chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will officially endorse the results of a nationwide rice audit by Nov 10. KRIT PROMSAKA NA SAKOLNAKORN
Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, said the Thai government had so far shipped more than 700,000 tonnes through G-to-G deals to China, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Talks to sell more rice from state stocks are also under way with several countries in Africa and the Middle East.
Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikulya yesterday said the government was likely to sign more G-to-G rice deals with the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia in the coming months.
Thai officials are also working with agricultural conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group to tap Bahrain's rice market.
Gen Chatchai said Thailand expected to sell more than 1 million tonnes of additional rice through a G-to-G deal with China if Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, now on a trip to Beijing, could persuade the Chinese to buy more rice.
The new rice deal with China has nothing to do with an earlier deal for 1 million tonnes agreed under the previous government.
Thailand has delivered 300,000 tonnes as part of the earlier deal, with 700,000 tonnes yet to follow.
Gen Chatchai said the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Beijing, beginning on Nov 7, would offer an opportunity to ask his Chinese counterpart about increasing rice shipments under the deal to 300,000 tonnes a month from the current 100,000 tonnes.
He insisted the Thai government had no policy of using rice as barter with China in exchange for high-speed train development.
Gen Chatchai said the National Rice Policy Committee chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha would officially endorse the results of a nationwide rice audit by Nov 10.
The state's rice stocks have been found to be in a poor state, with as much as 90% classified as substandard under the audit led by ML Panadda Diskul, permanent secretary for the Prime Minister's Office.
The audit report said only 10% of 18 million tonnes of rice was of good quality.
It said 70% of the rice was tainted with a yellow colour, while the rest was in a bad condition, inedible and only fit for ethanol production.
The inspection also revealed 100,000 tonnes of rice was missing.
A Commerce Ministry source said the figure of 100,000 tonnes gone missing was insignificant compared with the 3 million tonnes reported missing in June 2013 by former deputy finance permanent secretary Supa Piyajitti, who chaired a subcommittee overseeing the accounts of the failed rice-pledging scheme.
The discrepancy points to fraud in the pledging scheme. During the inspection process, it is likely that good-quality rice pledged under the rice scheme was replaced with old, low-quality stock, the source said.
Losses from the scheme could reach 700 billion baht if the government fails to dispose of its stocks within five years, the source said.