Royalty, polls give printers a big fillip
The royal celebration and forthcoming general election have created conditions for the printing industry to grow at least 12 per cent to Bt230 billion this year, according to the president of the Thai Printing Asso-ciation.
The most important driving force of the business is the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne, which will continue till the end of this year. Elections for district councillors, senators and the House are also significant. Thanawat Polvichai, director of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce's Econo-mic and Business Forecast Centre, said the general election had generated Bt2billion-Bt3 billion, one-fourth of which would go to the printing industry and related businesses. "The Kingdom's economic growth should increase by 0.3 per cent with this election, a 0.1-per-cent increase from other elections, due to hard campaigning" Thanawat said. Kriengkrai Thiennukul, president of the association, said that despite the economic slowdown and political disorder, the printing industry was showing positive growth. The association expects the industry to grow by 10-12 per cent this year, compared to 10-per-cent growth of Bt200 billion last year. Major positive factors for the industry are the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne and the general election on October 15, said Kriengkrai, who is also chairman of the printing-industry chapter of the Federation of Thai Industries. "The King's celebration has helped the industry recover from business sluggishness in the first quarter of this year," he said. Negative factors that caused a decline in the industry in the first quarter were rising interest rates, political turbulence and rising oil prices. There has been a high demand for printed matter on the King throughout the year, and the forthcoming orders for next year's calendars will accelerate growth, he said. The printing industry grew by 50 per cent in the second quarter. The upcoming general election will stimulate money flow to the sector by Bt4 billion-Bt5 billion, he said. Kriengkrai said previous elections had barely encouraged spending in the sector, generating some Bt2 billion, whereas this election was being advertised very aggressively, with all parties participating. The association expects printing exports to grow by 10 per cent to Bt10 billion this year.
Petchanet Pratruangkrai The Nation
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