briefs

Thailand Tobacco Monopoly is negotiating to buy land at the Hemaraj Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate, which will accommodate the relocation of its factory from Bangkok.

The price is under negotiation, said Prachuab Tantinon, the newly appointed managing director of TTM.

The cost of the new plant is estimated at Bt16 billion.

Prachuab also said that under his leadership, TTM would export its brand-name cigarettes and seek to buy international brand-name products to combat slowing consumption at home. - The Nation

PTT funding jatropha

PTT will finance Kasetsart University's Bt60-million five-year research and development of jatropha as a source of alternative fuel.

The project will cover breed selection and plantation experimentation.

PTT hopes the project will help raise the jatropha yield to match that of palm oil, at about 600-700 kilograms of oil per rai per year.

PTT in 2006 provided Bt18 million in funding for Kasetsart's experimental plantation of jatropha in dry soil. - The Nation

Trend chooses M Tech

Trend Micro (Thailand), the local unit of the major US Internet content-security firm, has appointed M-Solutions (Thailand) - also known as M Tech Thailand - as its local distributor, expecting the move to increase its sales by 15 per cent. - The Nation

Confidence up in index

The Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion yesterday said that the business confidence index rose to 40.3 points in August from 38.5 the previous month, due to expansion in the transportation and retail sectors.

However, trade and services operators' confidence in the overall economy dropped from 35.9 points in July to 25.1 the following month.

The office said the increased confidence in business expansion derived from a drop in companies' production costs, as a result mainly of declining global oil prices and the government's measures to alleviate the cost burden on consumers for six months. 

The office expects overall confidence by trade and services operators to increase in the remainder of the year to 50 points. - The Nation

Pakorn at Irish-Thai

Pakorn Malakul Na Ayudhaya, chairman of the Stock Exchange of Thailand, will address businessmen on the current global financial crisis during his speech at the Irish-Thai Chamber of Commerce luncheon next Thursday.

Pakorn will provide valuable insights into the current workings of the current Thai bourse and how it could be made to function more smoothly in the future.

The event will take place at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel. - The Nation