The Siamese rice trade during the interwar years: Trade pattern, crisis and business survival

Abstract

This article recounts the story of the Siamese rice trade during the interwar years. Many previous studies tend to focus on the Great Depression in 1929 and the decline in the Siamese rice trade. However, export statistics show that Siam continued to export large volumes of rice during this period. This article examines the Siamese rice export patterns and highlights how instrumental Western and Japanese firms were in determining the destinations to which the rice was shipped. It also explores business strategies in response to interwar market conditions that helped the Siamese rice trade survive.