Hong Kong grants certification mark to Thai jasmine rice
BANGKOK (NNT) – Thai Jasmine rice has been granted a certification mark in the Cantonese language by the Intellectual Property Department of Hong Kong, to prevent adulteration while stimulating the market.
Director-General of the Department of Foreign Trade, Kirati Ratchano, said today that to prevent the adulteration of Thai Jasmine rice, the Department of Foreign Trade, together with the Department of International Trade Promotion, had filed a certification mark application for Thai Jasmine rice in the Cantonese language with the Intellectual Property Department of Hong Kong. The move will also make more people know that Thai jasmine rice originated in Thailand.
This certification mark will help stimulate the Thai Jasmine rice market in Hong Kong. Consumers will have more confidence in buying Thai Jasmine rice with the certification mark, ensuring its quality and knowing its origin. The COVID-19 situation has also led to panic buying, and there are reports of consumers hoarding rice in Hong Kong.
The Director-General of the Department of Foreign Trade added that his agency has set a target of 1.52 million tons of Thai Jasmine rice for export this year, up by 4.8 percent. One of the key markets is Hong Kong, and this certification mark will further boost Thai Jasmine rice exports there.
Between 2018 and 2020, Hong Kong imported more than 100,000 tons of Thai Jasmine rice annually. The total trade value was 4.9 billion baht each year. Even with Thailand experiencing the COVID-19 outbreak and a shortage of containers, Hong Kong still managed to import 3,000 more tons of Thai jasmine rice in January 2021, with the trade value up by 30 million baht on the same period last year.