RPT-Asia Rice-Indian demand perks up, Thai prices rise on stronger baht

(Repeat's Wednesday's story with no changes to the text)
* Bangladesh unable to strike deal since lifting export ban
in May
* Indian prices rise to $369-$372/T vs $367-$370/T last week
* New batch of rice to enter Thai market around August -
trader
* Vietnam starts shipping rice to Iraq - trader

By Eileen Soreng
BENGALURU, June 27 (Reuters) - Rice export prices in India
edged higher this week, helped by an uptick in demand, while a
strong Thai baht propped up prices in the world's second largest
rice exporter amid subdued consumption.
In India, the top exporter of the staple grain, 5 percent
broken parboiled variety RI-INBKN5-P1 was quoted around
$369-$372 per tonne this week, up from last week's $367-$370.
"We are seeing interest building up from west African
markets," said Nitin Gupta, vice president for Olam India's rice
business.
Farmers have planted summer-sown rice on 630,000 hectares as
of June 21, down 32% compared with the same period a year ago,
according to provisional data from the Ministry of Agriculture,
as the monsoon delivered less-than-average rainfall.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Bangladesh had been unable to strike
a deal since its ban on rice exports was lifted a month ago,
officials said.
"So far there is no progress in making any deal. We are
exploring markets. Let's see," a senior food ministry official
said.
Bangladesh lifted its longstanding ban on rice exports in
May, aiming to sell as much as 1.5 million tonnes to support
farmers following a drastic drop in domestic prices.
Thailand's benchmark 5 percent broken rice RI-THBKN5-P1
prices rose to $395-$415 a tonne, free on board Bangkok (FOB),
compared with $390-$407 last week.
Traders attributed the price increase to a firm Thai baht,
which has strengthened more than 5% against the greenback so far
this year. Traders say supply of Thai rice is also gradually decreasing
during the rainy season, while demand remained flat.
"There were concerns about drought earlier this year which
has caused a delay to the new crop," a Bangkok-based rice trader
said.
"We are now expecting a new batch of rice to enter the
market around August or slightly later."
In Vietnam, the third biggest rice exporter after Thailand,
rates for 5 percent broken rice RI-VNBKN5-P1 were unchanged
from last week at $340-$345 a tonne.
"We have begun delivering rice to Iraq under a contract
signed earlier for 150,000 tonnes for delivery this month and
next," a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said.
However, Vietnam's rice exporters will continue to face
difficulty clinching new deals during the rest of this year on
weaker demand from China, its largest rice export market, the
ministry of industry and trade said in a statement this week.
Vietnam's rice shipments to China in the first five months
of this year fell 74% from a year earlier to 223,078 tonnes due
to China's rising inventories and its move to impose stricter
non-tariff barriers, according to the statement.