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Published on August 10, 2007

"Thais consume 3 litres of fruit juice a year on average, or a total of 190 million litres. We plan to push that average to 3.5 litres per head, or a total of 220 million litres, within three years.

"This will help reduce the oversupply problem with fruit," he said.

The Commerce Ministry has hosted juice-making demonstrations with an assortment of fruits, especially durian, mangosteen and rambutan. The juices have received a warm welcome, Siripol said.

The ministry has also approached agencies and companies, including restaurants and hotels, to serve locally made fruit juices at their meetings and seminars and introduce food items containing fruits.

The campaign will promote good health while helping farmers, who have been complaining aboutextraordinarily low prices this season.

Eviction sought

The Agricultural Land Reform Office is seeking a court order to evict Jiu Kang Jui Development from 1,000 rai of land in Surat Thani and Krabi.

The company has falsely claimed ownership of what is designated as agrarian-reform land and refused to leave, even though a Krabi provincial court has ruled that the company is violating the law, Sathitpong Sudchookiat, the office's expert for land reform law, said yesterday.

The office has accelerated filing complaints against investors nationwide regarding illegal possession of farmland that is subject to agrarian reform, he added.

Airline accolade

Sri Lankan Airlines has joined the ranks of companies that have been awarded the Imperial Mark, which include such global brands as Omega watches, Clive Christian perfumes and Tiffany and Co of New York.

"The Imperial Mark is not a subjective popularity poll, but an expert evaluation of our service excellence. It is a tribute to the professionalism of our staff around the globe," CEO Peter Hill said in a recent press statement.

The Imperial Mark is one of the world's oldest accolades, dating back more than 300 years and honouring organisations that demonstrate commitment to high standards.