BANGKOK, Oct 22 — The Thai Industries Sentiment Index (TISI) dropped for the second month in a row, and local sales and export of automobiles also declined.
Supant Mongkolsuthree, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), said the TISI in September stood at 86.1, down from 88.7 in August.
The fall continued for the second consecutive month due to the sluggish economy, slow local consumption, fierce competition, liquidity problems and the doubted recovery of the global economy.
The sentiment index for the next three months stood at 104.7, up from 102.4 as surveyed in August.
The private sector urged the government to speed up its infrastructure investment, resolve obstacles to border trade, keep energy and electricity prices at suitable levels and establish an information center on investment in neighboring countries to help small- and medium-sized enterprises.
FTI Vice Chairman Surapong Paisitpattanapong, spokesman of the FTI’s Automotive Industry Club, said in September that Thailand produced 164,000 automobiles.
The number dropped by 15.6 per cent year-on-year. The local sales of automobiles fell by 27.5 per cent and that of motorcycles dropped by 5.85 per cent.
In the first nine months of this year, local sales of automobiles declined 37 per cent and that of motorcycles by 16.69 per cent. The volume of exported automobiles dropped 17 per cent and the value decreased 16 per cent.
