Thai trade outpost to open in Bahrain
The Gulf nation of Bahrain has agreed to a proposal by Thai officials to open the Thai Trade Center, a commercial distribution center for exports to the Middle East, most notably for rice, frozen seafood and canned products, the Gulf Daily News reported on October 17.
As the world’s largest exporter of rice, Thailand is well positioned to supply food-importing GCC countries.
Official visits to Bahrain this week and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s meeting with the King of Bahrain yesterday at the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Summit in Kuwait to discuss expanding trade and investment cooperation were aimed at accelerating the offloading of rice stockpiles stored by the Thai government through government-to-government contracts.
Contracts to sell 7.3 million tonnes of rice through such contracts with China, Indonesia, Bangladesh and the Ivory Coast have alreday been signed, according to Thailand’s commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom.
Thailand has discussed potential rice deals with Bahrain earlier to support the small Gulf nation’s food security programme, as well as an extension on the existing energy and petroleum partnership.
Though the Middle East has a high purchasing power, Thailand has overlooked many of the emerging markets in the region in the past, Srirat Rastapana, director-general of Thailand’s International Trade Promotion Department, told the Bangkok Post.
“Our export promotion focus has been mostly on Dubai, so from now on the government should do more marketing in Gulf countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar,” she said.
Trade between Thailand and Bahrain during the first eight months of 2012 accumulated to $342 million, a 49 per cent increase year-on-year, with Thai exports accounting for $105 million.
Bahrain ranks 11th out of 15 Thai export markets in the Middle East, where two-way trade last year amounted to $297 billion in the first eight months.
[caption id="attachment_4836" align="alignleft" width="300"] Thailand aims to sell more of its rice and other foodstuff to Gulf countries via a distribution center in Bahrain[/caption] The Gulf nation of Bahrain has agreed to a proposal by Thai officials to open the Thai Trade Center, a commercial distribution center for exports to the Middle East, most notably for rice, frozen seafood and canned products, the Gulf Daily News reported on October 17. As the world’s largest exporter of rice, Thailand is well positioned to supply food-importing GCC countries. Official visits to Bahrain this week and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s meeting with the...
The Gulf nation of Bahrain has agreed to a proposal by Thai officials to open the Thai Trade Center, a commercial distribution center for exports to the Middle East, most notably for rice, frozen seafood and canned products, the Gulf Daily News reported on October 17.
As the world’s largest exporter of rice, Thailand is well positioned to supply food-importing GCC countries.
Official visits to Bahrain this week and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s meeting with the King of Bahrain yesterday at the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Summit in Kuwait to discuss expanding trade and investment cooperation were aimed at accelerating the offloading of rice stockpiles stored by the Thai government through government-to-government contracts.
Contracts to sell 7.3 million tonnes of rice through such contracts with China, Indonesia, Bangladesh and the Ivory Coast have alreday been signed, according to Thailand’s commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom.
Thailand has discussed potential rice deals with Bahrain earlier to support the small Gulf nation’s food security programme, as well as an extension on the existing energy and petroleum partnership.
Though the Middle East has a high purchasing power, Thailand has overlooked many of the emerging markets in the region in the past, Srirat Rastapana, director-general of Thailand’s International Trade Promotion Department, told the Bangkok Post.
“Our export promotion focus has been mostly on Dubai, so from now on the government should do more marketing in Gulf countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar,” she said.
Trade between Thailand and Bahrain during the first eight months of 2012 accumulated to $342 million, a 49 per cent increase year-on-year, with Thai exports accounting for $105 million.
Bahrain ranks 11th out of 15 Thai export markets in the Middle East, where two-way trade last year amounted to $297 billion in the first eight months.
