Thailand Apologizes to India for Remarks on Rice Export Policy
Published on: March 3, 2024.
Filed under:
Thailand Issues Formal Apology to India over Inappropriate Comments on Rice Export Policy
In a recent development, Thailand has issued a formal apology to India following inappropriate comments made by Thailand’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) ambassador concerning India’s rice export policy. The apology was delivered during the 13th Ministerial Conference of the WTO in the United Arab Emirates.
Commerce Minister of Thailand, Phumtham Wechayachai, confirmed the apology and stated that the ambassador’s comments did not reflect the official position of the Thai government. India received a written apology from Thailand through its commerce minister, acknowledging their swift response to the incident.
India appreciated Thailand’s prompt apology and expressed gratitude for accepting it. The incident will not affect the strong bilateral relations between the two nations, as reassured by Commerce Minister Phumtham.
As a consequence of the incident, the Thai ambassador to the WTO, Pimchanok Vonkorpon Pitfield, has been recalled. Pitfield 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, leading to their boycott of a ministerial meeting where she was present.
According to a report by the Times of India, India retains its position as the largest rice exporter globally, surpassing Thailand and Vietnam. In an effort to decrease domestic prices, India has recently imposed restrictions on non-basmati rice exports.
India is now 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 program.
The recent UAE conference failed to achieve anticipated deals on agriculture and fisheries, despite granting a temporary extension of an e-commerce moratorium. The finalization of deals requires unanimous consent from all WTO members, as reported by Bangkok Post.
Thani al-Zeyoudi, the UAE chair of the conference and the foreign trade minister of the United Arab Emirates, acknowledged these shortcomings, stating, “Despite our best efforts, we failed to agree on some texts which are of great importance to many of our members.”
Source: [The Thaiger](https://thethaiger.com)
