Thailand exported 4.99 million tonnes of rice in the first nine months of 2026, down 19.26% from a year earlier. Figures released by the Commerce Ministry on October 20 put export earnings at USD 2.96 billion, a decline of 16.84%.
Iraq shipments face transport pressures
Following talks with the Thai Rice Exporters Association, Commerce Ministry permanent secretary Poonpong Naiyanapakorn said shipments to Iraq had fallen sharply since the start of the year amid Middle East tensions. Some rice continued to reach Iraq through Türkiye, but higher transport costs limited that alternative route's volume.
Stronger imports by the Philippines and Malaysia partly offset the decline. Poonpong said both countries were building rice reserves in response to El Niño risks and food-security concerns. The figures describe changes among buyers of Thai rice; they do not establish a corresponding gain for any competing exporter.
Higher prices, provisional target
The average September price for Thai 5% broken white rice reached USD 482 per tonne, up 28.88% from September 2025. That monthly product-price measure has a different scope from total export volume and earnings over nine months.
The ministry expects similar challenges to persist in 2027 and may provisionally retain an export target of seven million tonnes. Officials will review the formal target toward the end of this year after consulting exporters about El Niño and conflict in the Middle East. The proposed figure remains a planning assumption, rather than a confirmed shipment result or final target.