BANGKOK: Rice exports are another important source of income for Thailand. More than that, rice is a key agricultural commodity because it is produced by around 61% of Thai farming households, or 4.68 million households, representing about 45% of the population, or 20 million people nationwide. Rice is grown on about 11.52 million ha of farmland. The direction of the global rice market, therefore, helps forecast the future income of Thai farmers. Data from the US Department of Agriculture (Usda), published in its “Rice Outlook: April 2026” report, showed that global rice production in 2025/26 is projected at 541.4 million tonnes on a milled basis, up 0.1 million tonnes from the previous forecast. The increase was driven by higher production in Thailand, where favourable weather is expected to support a slight increase in planted area, offsetting lower output in the Philippines and Taiwan. Production estimates for India and China remain unchanged from the previous forecast at 152 ...