Thailand's fresh mango exports saw an impressive 130% increase in the first quarter of this year, reaching a value of approximately 1.6 billion baht compared to the same period last year. Exports of sticky rice also rose by 13%, totaling around one billion baht.
Chotima Iemsawasdikul, director-general of the Trade Negotiations Department, attributed part of this growth to the rising international popularity of Thai mango sticky rice. The dessert was recently ranked as the world’s second-best rice pudding by the TasteAtlas website, boosting its demand globally.
"This presents a great opportunity for Thai exporters to capitalize on the free trade agreements (FTAs) Thailand has with ASEAN, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Chile, Peru, and Hong Kong," Chotima stated.
Thailand is currently the world's fifth-largest mango exporter and the second-largest exporter of sticky rice. Chotima noted that most ASEAN countries, along with key markets like China, Japan, and Australia, do not impose import taxes on Thai mangoes, with the exception of Laos and Cambodia, which charge a 5% tax. South Korea imposes a higher import tax of 24%.
For sticky rice, countries like Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong impose no import taxes, while China, Indonesia, and Malaysia have reduced their import taxes to 50%, 30%, and 32%, respectively. Additionally, frozen ready-to-eat mango sticky rice is exported to 16 countries with zero import tax, further enhancing Thailand's export potential.
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