Shafaq News – Bangkok

Thai rice shipments to Iraq are being rerouted overland through Jordan and Turkiye as disruption in the Strait of Hormuz alters trade flows, Thai Rice Exporters Association Deputy Secretary-General Waniwat Kittiranglarp said.

Kittiranglarp stated that the sharp drop in recorded Iraqi purchases largely reflected the route shift rather than weaker demand. Iraq was Thailand’s largest rice market in 2025, importing 1,001,306 metric tons, according to association data.

Earlier this year, Thai exporters said shipments to Iraq had stopped for about three months after Gulf shipping was disrupted, cutting more than 200,000 tons from Middle East sales.

Transit cargo through Jordan’s Aqaba port rose 155.1% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, driven largely by goods trucked onward to Iraq as Gulf shipping remained disrupted.

Published Date: September 6, 2026