Chaiyaporn Rice, a leading exporter, won the bidding for 5-per-cent white rice totalling 55,061 tonnes at the highest offered price of Bt10,500-Bt10,520 per tonne.

Surin Tip Rice Mill, a  rice-trader and packer, offered the highest bid of Bt15,300 per tonne for 1,727 tonnes of jasmine rice.

Director-general Apiradi Tantraporn yesterday said the country's rice exports would rise, because major rice-exporting countries faced a drop in production.

"Some importers want to buy a big lot of Thai rice, which is being negotiated," she said, adding that exports were estimated to reach 8.5 million tonnes at the average price of US$306 (Bt10,900) per tonne.

EU's organic rules

Organic-food exporters should study EU import rules to gain a greater share of that market, a seminar was told yesterday.

Patrick Deboyser, counsellor of the Delegation of the European Commission, told a seminar in Bangkok that EU consumers wanted products of high quality that met environmental standards and that thus there was a growing demand for organic food.

"A better understanding of the EU's control systems for organic agriculture will help meet this demand and further strengthen Thailand's competitiveness in the European market," Deboyser said.

An action plan jointly funded by the EU and Thai authorities has seen experts from the Geneva-based International Trade Centre work with National Innovation Agency and the National Bureau for Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards develop a seven-point national action plan for the organic sector.

Franchises in India

The Export Promotion Department has urged businessmen to focus on exporting franchise businesses to India, to capture a lucrative market valued at US$2.7 billion (Bt96.2 billion) per year.

Voraman Fuang-arom, director of the Business Support Division, said yesterday India's retail market grew 10 per cent a year and franchise businesses 40 per cent.