Thailand apologises to India for comments on rice export policy

A formal apology to India has been issued by Thailand, following inappropriate comments made by Thailand’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) ambassador regarding India’s rice export policy.

The comments were made during the 13th Ministerial Conference of the WTO in the United Arab Emirates. Phumtham Wechayachai, the Commerce Minister of Thailand, confirmed the apology.

The Indian government received a written apology from Thailand through its commerce minister. The apology included a statement asserting that the ambassador’s comments did not reflect the official position of the Thai government.

The Thai government’s swift response to the incident has been acknowledged and appreciated by India, as reported by Commerce Minister Phumtham. He expressed gratitude to India for accepting the apology and reassured that the strong bilateral relations between the two nations will continue despite this incident.

Pimchanok Vonkorpon Pitfield, the Thai ambassador to the WTO, has been recalled due to this incident. She was reported to have falsely accused India of exporting 40% of its domestically procured rice during her stay in the UAE. This claim was strongly refuted by Indian officials and led to their boycott of a ministerial meeting where she was present.

A report by the Times of India states that India holds the position of the largest rice exporter globally, surpassing Thailand and Vietnam. India has recently imposed restrictions on non-basmati rice exports intending to decrease domestic prices.

The report further elaborates that India is seeking a solution at the WTO regarding subsidy caps. These caps are calculated based on prices set between 1986 and 1988. However, the prices have exceeded the 10% cap of the production value allowed for support of procurement for its food programme.

The UAE conference concluded recently with a temporary extension of an e-commerce moratorium, but without the anticipated deals on agriculture and fisheries. The WTO requires unanimous consent from all members to finalise deals, reported Bangkok Post.

Thani al-Zeyoudi, the UAE chair of the gathering and the foreign trade minister of the United Arab Emirates, recognised these shortcomings.

“Despite our best efforts, we failed to agree on some texts which are of great importance to many of our members.”