Bangkok - Thailand's food exports to Japan rose 30 per cent last year, benefiting from the Japanese market's health concerns about Chinese imports, media reports said Sunday.

Thai exports to Japan in 2008 were valued at 100 billion baht (2.8 billion dollars) and could continue to rise this year if the Japanese market continued to be wary of chemical-contamination of Chinese food products, President of Thailand's National Food Institute Yuthasak Supasorn told the Thai News Agency (TNA).

The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology have been helping Thai exporters to comply with Japan's food safety standards, he said.

Thailand is the world's largest exporter of rice and a leading exporter of chicken, prawns and processed foods.

Thailand National Food Institute has forecast that Thai food exports in 2009 will reach 660 billion baht (18.3 billion), down from the record 778 billion baht in 2008, a year which saw unusually high agricultural commodity prices. (dpa)