At a seminar yesterday called "The Challenges of Agriculture and Food Standards Related to Thai Business Competitiveness" hosted by the Board of Trade, panellists agreed the government and private sector must standardise agriculture.

They said a concrete plan to develop the sector should be drawn up soon.

Commerce Minister Krirk-krai Jirapaet said many negative factors would harm the Kingdom's economic growth, particularly the export sector, which is Thailand's major economic driving engine.

Although agricultural exports had been expected to be strong this year, the baht's appreciation and the world economic slow-down will cause difficulties, he said.

Exports account for 65 per cent of the country's gross domestic product, while agriculture contributes 14 per cent of total exports.

To maintain competitiveness and reduce reliance on a fluctuating currency, Krirk-krai suggested private firms and farmers focus more on organic produce, because many import markets were increasing their demand for healthy products.

"Producers should also change to produce more value-added goods and develop their products to meet world standards," he said.

Pornsilp Patcharintanakul, chairman of the Agriculture and Foods Sector at the Board of Trade, said rising non-tariff obstacles in the world market would cause problems for exporters.

The government should support a plan to set an export standard for the agricultural sector and increase technological support for farmers to respond to demand, he said.

Thailand is the world's seventh-largest food and agriculture supplier. About one-third of its population is employed in agriculture.

Chusak Chuenprayoth, president of Kamphaeng-Saen Commercial, a major exporter of vegetables, said the key problem facing exports was farmers' lack of knowledge about agricultural standards.

Petchanet Pratruangkrai

The Nation