THAILAND and China are expected to sign a contract in May for China to purchase 2 million tonnes of Thai rice and 200,000 tonnes of rubber, following further discussions between the countries.
After a meeting between Thai Commerce Minister General Chatchai Sarikalya and Wang Xiaotao, vice minister of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, in Bangkok yesterday on agricultural trading cooperation, Thailand is confident that China will soon ink the rice-purchase agreement, along with an agreement regarding the construction of dual-track railways in the Kingdom.
The next meeting between the countries’ officials is set for May 6 in Beijing, when a purchasing contract could be signed for rice and rubber. Thailand and China inked a memorandum of understanding for the purchase of 2 million tonnes of rice and 200,000 tonnes of rubber, as well as dual-track railways, last December.
Under the planned deal, China will purchase 2 million tonnes of rice over two years, 2015 and 2016.
China will purchase 1 million tonnes of 5-per-cent rice from the new harvest season, and the same amount from previously harvested rice. For the trading of rubber, Thailand’s Rubber Estate Organisation and China’s Sino-ken agency will discuss an agreement for China to purchase 200,000 tonnes at a friendship price, said Chatchai.
During the Chinese delegation’s current mission to Thailand, talks will be held today about a dual-track railway construction contract.
Chatchai added that the government would also encourage the Chinese authorities to continue importing rice from Thailand under a previous MoU concerning the purchase of 1 million tonnes of produce.
So far, China has imported 300,000 tonnes under the deal.
Meanwhile, the Commerce Ministry and the Finance Ministry will set up a working committee to follow up a case for the government in seeking compensation for individuals and companies in connection with four illegal government-to-government rice contracts, said the commerce minister.
He added that his ministry would today also make a final decision on whether to discharge two government officials found to have been involved in the illegal contracts.