Toward rice export competitiveness, community development, and farmer well-being: Evidence from Thailand

Global rice market shifts challenge rural income, particularly in developing countries reliant on rice exports. This has become imperative for the Thai government, where rice production has long been a prominent sector driving rural development, to implement measures safeguarding the welfare of its farmers. This study seeking implications investigates the current status of Thailand's rice competitiveness using the Revealed Comparative Advantages Index (RCA) based on yearly data spanning from 2013 to 2022 with the hope to enable informed policy decisions to ensure the well-being of rural communities in Thailand and in developing countries facing similar challenges. Key findings revealed a notable decline in Thailand's RCA, indicating a reduction in the share of Thai rice exports concerning all commodities in the world market, decreasing from 16.61 in 2014 to 11.77 in 2022 (-30%). However, it is worth noting that the RCA in major trading partners such as the Chinese market exhibited little change, suggesting that Thailand still maintains a competitive position in the Chinese rice market while facing challenges in the broader global market. The strategies for local responses to secure rice competitiveness have been extensively discussed.