February 12, 2025

Thailand's corn production set to rise in 2024-25 marketing year

Thailand's rice and corn production in the 2024-25 marketing year is forecast to increase due to acreage expansion and average yield improvement, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Corn production is seen increasing by 2% in 2024-25 to 5.4 million tonnes.

"Corn production experienced more favorable weather conditions and less damage from drought than in 2023-24," the FAS said.

Corn imports in the first five months of the current marketing year surged by 83% year-on-year and were 84% higher than the average import levels of the past five years due to higher demand, the FAS said.

"The substantial increase was largely attributed to the recovery in the swine and poultry sectors," the FAS added. "Swine production is expected to reach 80% of the capacity prior to the African swine fever outbreak in 2022."

The FAS noted that the majority of the corn imports were from neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, which benefited from duty-free access with unlimited quotas between February 1 and August 31 under the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.

- World Grain