Price surge draws Thai rice barons into spotlight

By Ed Cropley

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Every Wednesday for as far back as anybody can remember, a small group of Thai-Chinese businessmen have met for lunch down a leafy lane in central Bangkok before sitting down to set world rice prices.

For decades it was a sedate affair, a bowl or two of, appropriately, rice followed by a leisurely chat between old friends about anything affecting global supply and demand: a bad flood, say, in Thailand, the world's biggest exporter, or a failed harvest in Iran.

Full of food and the latest news, these 35 barons of the rice world would then recommend a price per metric ton only a few dollars different from the previous week, before heading for home.

It may only have been an "indicative" level, but few countries or exporters could risk deviating too far from the benchmark set by the big hitters of Thailand's Rice Exporters Association, the guardians of nearly a third of all the rice to be traded globally.

That all changed late last year when India imposed export curbs to protect domestic supplies after severe flood damage to crops.

Vietnam, which vies with India to be the world's number two exporter, followed suit a few months later, triggering concerns about Asia's ability to feed itself and pushing prices to record highs of nearly $1,000 a metric ton, three times their 2007 average.

Now, the price of Thai 100 percent B grade white rice, the world's de facto benchmark, is moving 10 percent in a week and making governments across Asia nervous about possible unrest stemming from the soaring cost of the region's staple food.

Suddenly, a lot of eyes are trained on the second floor boardroom of the Rice Exporters Association in Bangkok.

"It's been a tradition for many years. They have lunch first at 12 and then at 1 they review the situation in world markets," association managing director Charin Hansuebsai told Reuters.

"But the mood has changed a lot in the last few months. In the past, the price moved very slowly, but now it's very difficult to get consensus," he said.

"Normally it's a buyers' market -- they can shop around between different sellers. Now its definitely a sellers' market."

RICE EMPIRES

After they agree on a price, the association passes it on by letter -- or more recently email -- to its 180 members late that evening. It still takes a day or two for the new price to make it onto the association website.

In reality, most exporters have tended to sell at a slight premium -- if they can get away with it -- or a discount to make their long-time customers in trading houses in places like Hong Kong, China and Singapore feel they are getting a good deal.

"You have to be sincere with your customers. If you don't have a relationship, you will go out of business," said Charin, a former Commerce Ministry trade official.