BANGKOK, Dec 19: Thailand, the world’s top rice exporter, is set to post a new record for 2002 thanks to reduced competition from China, Pakistan and Vietnam, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Wednesday.

“Rice shipments in 2001 from the world’s biggest exporter of the cereal are already set to cross the seven million-tonne mark for the first time ever,” it said in a statement.

The bonanza is partly due to Beijing’s entry to the World Trade Organization, which will transform China into one of the world’s main buyers of rice, with imports estimated to surge nearly six-fold next year.

“Though this will be partly due to the continuing fall in domestic production over the past two years, its WTO obligations would require mainland China to allow entry (of) to up to four million tonnes of rice subject to a low 1.0-per cent import duty,” the FAO said.

The FAO’s Rice Market Monitor released on Wednesday said Thai rice would benefit from a surge in demand from Indonesia and China and the reduced ability of other major exporting nations to meet the shortfall.

“Thailand’s main rice export rivals — China, Pakistan and Vietnam — have found it hard to keep up their performance due to reduced domestic supply and external factors,” it said.

“Exports by China are expected to decline by more than 1.0 million tonnes this year compared to 2000 mainly because of the contraction in domestic output.”

Though international rice prices have declined over the past 12 months, reaching their lowest level in 14 years, a recovery is expected next year thanks to a fall in inventories, the FAO said.

The favourable response from China, India, Myanmar, Pakistan and Vietnam to Thailand’s proposal for an exporter alliance is also expected to shore up prices.

In Indonesia, the disappointing 2001 paddy season is tipped to push up Indonesia’s rice imports to 2.0 million tonnes in 2002 against 1.4 million tonnes estimated this year.

A sharp contraction in paddy harvesting and the war against terrorism in Afghanistan have kept Pakistan from boosting exports, which remain at last year’s 2.0 million-tonne level.

Floods in the Mekong Delta have affected paddy supplies in Vietnam and the world’s number two rice exporter is estimated to ship out just 3.7 million tonnes this year compared to an original FAO forecast of 4.0 million tonnes.

India and Myanmar are projected to record major export gains next year.—AFP