BANGKOK, Nov 18 (TNA) - Thailand's exports of rice and chicken are expected to be gloomy in 2009 due to the ongoing global economic slowdown and uncompetitive prices of Thai rice, industrial experts said Tuesday.
Chookiat Ophaswongse, president of Thai Rice Exporters Association, said rice export trends for next year are not promising because Thailand's domestic rice prices had risen sharply in 2008 while a number of countries had encouraged more rice farming for their own consumption, while rice exporting countries also are growing more rice.
Taking these factors into consideration, the global rice trade in 2009 is projected to decline to around 28-28.5 million tonnes from this year's 30 million tonnes and it will cause hardships for Thailand's rice exporters, Mr. Chookiat said.

CANBERRA: Indonesia will be able to export rice next year for the first time in 16 years, helping to ease a global food shortage, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said on Wednesday during a visit to Australia. 

"Indonesia, in the past 16 years, for the first time will produce enough rice for itself and a little surplus, and with the expected (extra) rice, around 5 percent this year, will export rice next year," he told reporters at Australia's parliament.

(AP:GEORGETOWN, Guyana) Guyana says it will donate more than 150,000 tons (136,000 metric tons) of rice to Cuba, which is recovering from two devastating hurricanes and preparing for another storm.

The shipment represents nearly half the total amount produced last year by Guyana, the Caribbean's largest rice producer.Foreign Ministry director general Elisabeth Harper said Friday the food will be shipped within two weeks.

The benchmark Thai rice price fell to US$550 (HK$4,290) per tonne, barely half the record high struck in April, as the government added to supply with a tender for 3.1 million tonnes of rice from its stockpile.

The government wants to clear space in its warehouses for rice it intends to buy under a price support scheme for the new crop, which is being harvested from November, but traders and industry officials said initial demand was low.