Asia Rice-India, Thai prices firm; Bangladesh rates seen less competitive

* Bangladesh rates very high compared to India, Thailand
-trader
* Late arrival of monsoon rains in India could delay
planting
* Thai demand likely to remain flat in near term
* Philippines ups purchases of Vietnam's winter produce
-trader

By Diptendu Lahiri and Swati Verma
BENGALURU, June 6 (Reuters) - Rice export prices in India
and Thailand strengthened this week as gains in local currencies
prompted traders to raise prices of the staple, while Bangladesh
will likely struggle to compete with top exporters despite a
slide in domestic rates.
India's 5 percent broken parboiled variety RI-INBKN5-P1
was quoted around $366-$369 per tonne this week, up from last
week's $364-$367.
"For the last few weeks demand is weak. Buyers are reluctant
to make purchases at current price level," said an exporter
based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
The Indian rupee hit the highest level in more than seven
weeks on Wednesday, reducing exporters' margins from overseas
sales.
The late arrival of monsoon rains in India could also delay
planting of summer-sown rice, dealers said. In the world's second largest exporter, Thailand, benchmark
5 percent broken rice RI-THBKN5-P1 prices narrowed to
$393-$402 a tonne on Thursday, free on board Bangkok (FOB) from
$385-$402 last week.
"The baht is stronger and this is the only factor that is
influencing the price right now," a Bangkok-based trader said.
Demand for the Thai variety has, however, remained flat
since the start of the year, with traders not expecting any
major changes in the short and medium term.
"In the past, demand used to pick up towards the end of the
Muslim holy month of Ramadan but this year there has been no
sign of that," another Bangkok-based trader said.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, will find it difficult to export rice
given the country's produce was expensive even after a fall in
domestic prices, traders said.
"Overall rice export markets are dull now. Moreover, we'll
have to compete with India and Thailand. They can offer less
than us even after the fall," a trader in Dhaka said.
The South Asian country last week lifted its long-standing
ban on rice exports, hoping to sell as much as 1.5 million
tonnes to support farmers following a drastic drop in domestic
prices. "Bangladesh's rice is very expensive compared to supplies
from India or Thailand. At the market price no one will buy it,"
said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trading firm.
In Vietnam rates for 5 percent broken rice RI-VNBKN5-P1
were quoted around $350-$360 a tonne on Thursday, compared with
$350 last week, traders said.
"Prices of the winter-spring harvest edged up due to low
supplies, while prices of the ongoing summer-autumn harvest
remained flat from last week," a trader based in Ho Chi Minh
City said.
Buyers from Philippines have purchased the winter-spring
harvest rice strongly over the past few weeks to get the
remaining supplies of winter produce, which is of higher quality
than the summer-autumn harvest, the trader said.
However, shipments from Vietnam are expected to be moderate
for the rest of this month before the summer-autumn harvest
peaks, according to traders.