RPT-Asia Rice-Indian prices extend gains as Thailand battles drought

(Repeats earlier story for wider readership with no change to
text)
* Bangladesh steps up efforts to stabilise domestic prices
* Thai prices ease slightly, Vietnamese rates unchanged
* Vietnam's January exports to fall 18.7% from year ago

By Shreyansi Singh
BENGALURU, Jan 30 (Reuters) - India's rice export prices
scaled a near four-month peak this week on increased demand from
buyers in Africa, in anticipation of a further jump in rates in
Asia as a persistent drought in Thailand squeezes supply.
Prices of India's 5-percent broken parboiled variety
RI-INBKN5-P1 rose to their highest since the first week of
October, around $369-$373 per tonne, from $366-$371 last week,
also helped by a depreciation of the rupee. INR=
Buyers from Africa have been making purchases fearing prices
could rise further due to the drought in Thailand, said
an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra
Pradesh.
Second largest exporter Thailand's benchmark 5-percent
broken rice RI-THBKN5-P1 prices eased slightly to $432-$453 a
tonne from $440-$460 last week, which was the highest level
since June 2017.
Traders attributed the slight dip to the fluctuation in the
baht, the domestic currency THB=TH , which has softened by 4%
so far this year after gaining more than 8% last year. THB=TH
"(However) The prices remain high due to concern over supply
and that has put off many overseas buyers," a Bangkok-based
trader said.
In Vietnam, markets reopened after the Lunar New Year
holiday, with rates for 5-percent broken rice RI-VNBKN5-P1
unchanged from two weeks ago at $345 a tonne.
"There haven't been any transactions as traders have not
returned to work after the Lunar New Year holiday," a trader
based in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang said, adding
activity should pick up from next week.
Farmers in the Mekong Delta said they have begun harvesting
rice of the winter-spring crop, and that the harvest will peak
late February.
Vietnam's rice exports in January are forecast to fall 18.7%
from a year earlier to 350,000 tonnes, official data showed on
Wednesday. Meanwhile, Bangladesh undertook measures to combat a spike
in domestic prices. Seven monitoring committees have been formed
to keep prices stable in the domestic markets, the country's
food ministry said this week.
"The measure has been taken to make sure farmers get fair
prices for their produce while customers can buy rice at a
tolerable rate," the ministry said in a statement.