The Trump administration has suspended $1.3 billion worth of duty-free trade for certain Thai products.

In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announcing the decision, Trump said Thailand had not been doing enough to protect worker rights, specifically those laid out in international trade agreements.

The suspension of duty-free status will affect nearly one-third of all Thai exports to the US.

The decision by Trump is yet another hit to Thailand’s export industry, which is already stagnating due to factors such as the strong Thai baht as well as the ongoing US-China trade war.

Thailand currently sits as the second biggest beneficiary of duty-free trades to the US behind India.

The total trade between the two countries totaled $44.5 billion in 2018.

Thailand business lawyers note that the country’s fishing industry could bear the biggest brunt of the suspension as it has already seen its seafood trade to Europe fall drastically in recent years due to multiple unethical practices in the industry that perturbed the EU.

A further hit to seafood exports going to the US could signal alarm bells in the industry.

Read the full story here.

Rice exporters in Cambodiaare hoping to anticipate international demand and impact the organic rice market by doubling organic rice exports this year, according to The Phnom Penh Post.

Cambodia only has two organic rice exporters, and the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC) is planning on shipping 1,000 tons of organic rice in 2015—a doubling over 2014.

Chaninat and Leeds’ Thailand business lawyers specialize in assisting Thai and international small and medium sized businesses with company registration and business litigation in Thailand.

CEDAC’s export officer, Sou Sarorn said thatCambodiahas “a good reputation that impresses buyers,” especially theUnited Statesand Hong Kong, but also the emerging markets in theMiddle East.

Though international demand for organic rice may be rising, the export represents a slight fraction ofCambodia’s overall 380,000 tons of rice exports in 2014.

Read the full story here.

Recommended Reading:
Food Babe Blogger Demands Kellogg Remove Preservative from Cereal
Maui v. Monsanto: GMO Farming Ban Passed by 1,000 Votes
Thai Supreme Court Dismisses Genetically Modified Papaya Case

Related Documents:
The Work of the Thailand Food and Drug Administration