Thailand to produce more quality grains

BANGKOK, June 1 (TNA) - Thai Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom said on Friday that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has ordered his ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to designate areas for the cultivation of quality Thai rice with 95 per cen purity. Boonsong told journalists that both ministries will start the task next week; while, in the meantime, his ministry's Department of Foreign Trade is working out rice standard and waiting for the geographical indications or GI of rice, which will facilitate the zoning of rice cultivation. The GI will tell where rice can be grown for better quality and it will promote the export of quality rice while pricing will not be a factor of competitiveness. The commerce minister predicted that Thailand's exports of rice under government-to-government or G-to-G contracts will amount to at least 3 million tons this year. Despite fierce competition on the world market, the Thai commerce minister said he believes that Thai business operators can cope with the global challenges, and that the global rice market should become more stable in the second half of this year. (TNA)