In the first two months of 2026, exports rose 17% year-on-year. Thailand's exports rose 12.9% last year. In a worst-case scenario, if there are no rice exports to the Middle East, total rice shipments may drop by one million tonnes in 2026, Arada said. Last year, Thailand exported 1.34 million tonnes of rice to the Middle East, with 75% going to Iraq. In the first two months of 2026, rice exports dropped 4.16% year-on-year to 1.15 million tonnes.

Source: The Edge Markets March 24, 2026 06:43 UTC