Five-year goal to make Thailand world's top food exporter

The plan - drafted by the Office of Industrial Economics and the National Food Institute (NFI) - targets the value of food exports being boosted to an annual Bt1 trillion in the next five years.

NFI executive director Yuthasak Supasorn said yesterday that it targeted exports growing by 10 per cent per year, from this year's original estimate of Bt600 billion. Exports of Bt800 billion are now forecast for the year, due to rising agricultural prices.

The plan also sets a goal that at least half of local food producers should possess international certification, as this would help bring local food standards up to global standards within five years.

"Unless we hurry to create our selling points on food goods, our share in the global market will get lower as a result of fierce competition and stricter conditions in developed countries," he said.

Thailand is currently the world's seventh-largest food exporter, behind Europe (taken as a whole), the United States, Brazil, China, Canada and Argentina. However, the Kingdom's global market share has declined from 2.7 per cent in 2002 to 2.39 per cent at present.

Thanavat Pholvichai, director of the University of Thai Chamber of Commerce's Economic and Business Forecasting Centre, said the NFI should pick local premium products and create Thai brands for marketing globally.

"Some parts of the road map are not clear enough. Apart from the projection of export value, it should identify how to give more weight from primary processed-food production to value-added food production," he said.

Thanin Pa-em, senior adviser to the Policy and Planning Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board, said the road map should include solutions for enhancing the efficiency of logistics to the highest extent possible for food manufacturers.

He said the food industry in the next 20 years would integrate the agricultural, manufacturing and service sectors, aiming for the minimum negative impact on society and the environment.

He added that the Kingdom should improve the competency of its human resources to support advanced technology and innovative development.