Khon Kaen's industrial park fails

"The IEAT should focus on developing infrastructure and utilities in its industrial estates with high land sales. Besides Khon Kaen's mini industrial estates, we'll continue our operation but not improve more facilities in the industrial estates with low sales either," Industry Minister Suwit Khunkitti said yesterday.

Khon Kaen's industrial estate, on 40 rai of land, has no customers. The Industry Ministry will return the land to the Treasury Department soon.

The IEAT was assigned to consider details for each estate before drafting a new development plan. It will place importance on developing the Southern Seaboard, an information and communications technology industrial estate in Khon Kaen and a distribution centre in Mukdahan.

In future, the IEAT will not develop industrial estates but instead allow companies to build and operate them.

The IEAT has spent Bt1.8 trillion developing its industrial estates, which accommodate 3,142 factories nationwide and employ more than 400,000 workers. The agency manages 12 estates on its own, and private developers operate 26. It has sold 112,915 rai, with another 16,380 rai awaiting buyers.

After meeting Suwit at the Industry Ministry, Boonchai Chokwatana, chairman of the Senate's economy, commerce and industry committee, said they tried to encourage the ministry to develop more industrial estates in the Northeast. However, the proposal needs more discussion and cooperation between the public and private sectors.

The situation in the manufacturing sector is not good, because of concerns about energy costs, he said.

Due to Vietnam's economic turndown, the government will likely launch more measures to stabilise the baht at 34-35 to the US dollar, in order to boost export competitiveness, he added.