BEIJING, Sept 16: Thailand shrugged off worries on Monday that aggressive rice exports by India threaten its position as the world’s top rice exporter, saying sales by the huge Asian country were often inconsistent and could easily drop.

Thailand also hopes India, together with Vietnam, Pakistan and China, will agree to join hands to control rice prices when they meet late in September or early in October, Thai Trade Representative Prachuab Chaiyasan told Reuters.

India recently overtook Vietnam as the world’s second biggest rice exporter, sparking expectations among traders it might snatch the number one spot Thailand has held for decades.

Prachuab said the amount of India’s exports hinged on how much supplies it had and how big its crop was. In some years, it exported far less than current levels because it had lower stocks.

India, which announced a subsidy for exporters last June, shipped a whopping 4.3 million tons of rice in the period from January to August, close to Thailand’s 4.5 million tons for the same period. But a year ago, India only exported 900,000 tons for the first eight months.

“They might drop to number four next year,” Prachuab said in an interview on the sidelines of the International Rice Congress in Beijing. Thailand has been a consistent rice exporter with exports expected to hit about seven million tons in 2002, down from last year’s record high of 7.5 million tons, he said.

Prachuab said India would not be able to stay at its current position permanently and it would be beneficial for the giant country to join the cartel-like body that Thailand is proposing, though some industry officials are skeptical that it would work.

“If they (India) have a surplus, they will export, but for some years, they have to import. So it’s good for them to join for security. So I hope that India will join us,” he said. Thailand, India, Vietnam, Pakistan and China make up more than half of the world’s rice exports of around 25 million tons, according to a recent forecast for 2002 from the UNFAO.—Reuters