BANGKOK-- With production of its premium-grade fragrant rice declining, Thailand is looking to develop more varieties of the crop in order to compete with major exporters like Vietnam and India.
The Thai Rice Exporters Association has been trying to ecourage farmers to diversify the strains they grow by paying them above the market rate for a soft, middle-grade product, which is in high demand in China and other major Asian markets, according to Charoen Laothamatas, the association's president.
