Thailand launches rice SME roadshow in Guangzhou to expand China exports
Thailand's Department of Foreign Trade and the SME promotion agency OSMEP are staging a 'Thai Rice Roadshow' in Guangzhou on 17–19 July 2026, bringing 28 rice SMEs to meet Chinese buyers. China is Thailand's fifth-largest rice market, taking 440,000–750,000 tonnes a year.
Thailand's Department of Foreign Trade (DFT), part of the Ministry of Commerce, has launched a program to help small and medium-sized rice exporters enter the Chinese market, anchored by a "Thai Rice Roadshow" in Guangzhou. The initiative is run jointly with the Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion (OSMEP) and financed through the SME Promotion Fund.
A Guangzhou platform for 28 SMEs
The event, branded "Thai Rice Roadshow: Think Rice Think Thailand," runs from 17 to 19 July 2026 in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province. DFT Director-General Arada Fueangthong said Guangzhou was chosen because Guangdong is China's largest rice-consuming province and the base for most of the country's rice importers. More than 80% of Thai rice shipped to China clears through ports in Guangdong before being distributed nationwide.
Deputy Director-General Chaninthr Rimcharoen is leading a delegation of 28 rice and rice-product SMEs, accompanied by Thai rice exporters and representatives of the Department of Internal Trade and OSMEP. The roadshow combines product displays and direct sales with business-matching sessions between the SMEs and Chinese importers, buyers and major operators.
China: a large but volatile buyer
According to the DFT, China is one of Thailand's most important and high-potential rice markets. Thailand has exported roughly 440,000 to 750,000 tonnes of rice to China per year, equivalent to 12–27% of China's total rice imports of about 1.63 million to 6.14 million tonnes a year. In the first five months of 2026, Thailand shipped more than 139,460 tonnes to China, which ranks as the fifth-largest export market for Thai rice, behind South Africa, the United States, Malaysia and the Philippines.
White rice accounts for about 50% of Thai rice sold to China, followed by glutinous rice at 32%, with the remainder made up of Thai Hom Mali (jasmine) rice.
Product range and soft-power push
The roadshow showcases Thai Hom Mali, white rice, Thai fragrant rice and glutinous rice, alongside specialty varieties such as Riceberry, Sangyod and Hom Nil. Visitors can sample Thai dishes made from rice, including pineapple fried rice, lotus-leaf rice and mango sticky rice.
A parallel soft-power campaign, "Think Rice Think Thailand: Taste of Thai Cuisine," runs from 18 to 24 July 2026 with three Thai SELECT–certified restaurants in Guangzhou — Mango Tree, Lian Restaurant and Manmailai. Diners ordering participating menu items can win prizes, with the grand prize two round-trip Guangzhou–Bangkok air tickets for a fine-dining experience at Khaosarnsek in Bangkok's Song Wat district, prepared by Michelin-starred Chef Pam (Pichaya Soontornyanakij). Online, the DFT plans to work with four key influencers in China, Australia, Japan and the United States to raise demand for Thai rice abroad.
The DFT said the program aims to give Thai SMEs access to foreign markets while reinforcing the image of Thai rice as a premium product and creating new opportunities for sustainable growth in China.
