BANGKOK: Thailand's customs-cleared exports rose 8.2 per cent in November from a year earlier, the commerce ministry said on Wednesday, roughly in line with analysts' expectations.
The reading compared with a forecast 8.4 per cent increase in a Reuters poll, slowing from October's 14.6 per cent rise.
Exports, a key driver of Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, increased 5.1 per cent in the first 11 months from the same period last year, and the ministry forecast a 5.2 per cent rise for the full year.
The ministry is maintaining its export growth target of 2 per cent to 3 per cent for 2025, Poonpong Naiyanapakorn, head of the Trade Policy and Strategy Office, told a news conference.
"We are not worried about exports next year," he said, adding the ministry was preparing for U.S. trade policies.
Commerce Minister Pichai Naripthaphan said this month the government was aiming to beat the 2025 export goal.
In November, rice export volumes dropped 22 per cent from a year earlier but were up 15.5 per cent for the January-November period at about 9.2 million metric tons.
Thailand, the world's biggest rice exporter after India, is aiming for rice shipments of 10 million tons this year, Poonpong said.
Imports rose 0.9per cent in November from a year earlier, below a forecast rise of 2.3 per cent, resulting in a trade deficit of US$224 million for the month.