Thailand’s rice exports are projected at 6.5 million metric tons in 2026, below the 7 million-ton target, as Asian growth confronts market pressures, Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) Director-General Arada Fuangtong said.
The DFT reported exports of 4.99 million metric tons from January through September 2026, worth $2.96 billion, or 94.9 billion baht. Arada’s full-year estimate comes amid a mixed trade picture, with stronger shipments to some destinations alongside disruption and weaker demand in others.
African countries received 1.73 million metric tons in the first nine months, compared with 1.71 million sent to Asia, where shipments rose 13.3% year over year, DFT data show. Malaysia’s imports of Thai rice reached a 20-year high and were up 155% from a year earlier. Purchases by the Philippines climbed 263% year over year; the Bangkok Post linked the increase to El Niño concerns and food-security efforts. The newspaper also reported that shipments to Hong Kong rose 63%, while those to Mozambique increased 2%.
The gains were offset by trade and demand pressures. The Bangkok Post reported that war in the Middle East and a partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted Thai shipments to Iraq, which took more than 1 million metric tons from Thailand in 2025. Thai rice sales to Indonesia ended in 2026 as the country sought to raise domestic consumption, the outlet reported. It also said U.S. tariffs affected Thai hom mali exports to the United States and attributed weaker demand to high inflation. Japan, meanwhile, increased rice imports from the United States, a change the newspaper said may be linked to trade talks.
To pursue new orders, the DFT plans trade missions and buyer meetings in Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines and Africa. The department also plans to promote Thai rice at international conferences and trade exhibitions.
