BANGKOK: Thailand’s exports are expected to rise 1% to 2% this year, the Thai National Shippers’ Council said on Tuesday, maintaining a previous forecast.

Export growth in the first half of 2024 will also be 1% to 2%, driven by rice, rubber, auto parts and electronic parts, council chair Chaichan Chareonsuk told a news briefing.

Thailand’s exports, a key driver of the economy, rose 7.2% in May from a year earlier, expanding at the fastest pace in four months, according to commerce ministry data.

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Shipments increased 2.6% in the January-May period from a year earlier, after falling 1% in the whole of 2023.