The Department of Foreign Trade revealed that Malaysia was the top importer of Thai rice in the first half of 2026, surpassing 320,000 tons. They are confident that the total for the entire year will break a 20-year record of 700,000 tons, emphasizing strengths in quality and delivery.
Ms. Arada Fuengthong, Director-General of the Department of Foreign Trade, disclosed that she has assigned Ms. Chanin Hrimcharoen, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Foreign Trade, to lead a delegation of government officials and representatives from the Thai Rice Exporters Association to visit Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 5 Aug 2026. The purpose was to discuss and strengthen trade relations with Padiberas Nasional Berhad (BERNAS), Malaysia’s sole rice import company. They exchanged information on the rice market situation, food security policies, Malaysia’s rice import trends, and procurement outlook for 2026.
Statistics show Malaysia has a rice consumption demand of about 2.69 million tons but produces only 1.42 million tons domestically, requiring approximately 1.46 million tons of imports to support food security and maintain domestic market stability. As a result, in the first half of 2026, Malaysia imported 327,995 tons of Thai rice.
This represents 46% of total rice imports of 710,656 tons, followed by Vietnam with 232,416 tons, India with 62,115 tons, and Cambodia with 57,602 tons.
"This is a very positive sign that in the first half of this year, Malaysia has returned to ranking Thailand as its top rice supplier, exceeding the full-year import volume from Thailand in 2025, which was 264,605 tons. This reflects a strong expansion of Thai rice in the Malaysian market. We are confident that this year’s Thai rice exports to Malaysia will surpass 700,000 tons, the highest in over 20 years," said the official.
Most of the rice Malaysia imports from Thailand is white rice, known for its relatively firm texture and suitability for cooking in pots. BERNAS expects Thailand to maintain this quality to meet market demands and emphasizes that Thailand remains a key and reliable rice source for Malaysia. They praised Thai rice exporters for delivering products as contracted. Moreover, BERNAS stated that their procurement decisions are based not only on price but also on quality, consistency, and punctual delivery—key strengths of Thai exporters. Meanwhile, Thai jasmine and fragrant rice continue to be recognized for quality and have market expansion potential among consumers valuing quality, despite facing price competition from competitor countries’ fragrant rice.
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