BANGKOK, 8 April 2013 The Agriculture Ministry is assuring that the spread of H7N9 strain of avian influenza in China will not have any impact on the confidence in Thai poultry product exports.
Agriculture Minister Yukol Lim-laemthong said on Sunday that the spread of H7N9 bird flu strain in China, which has infected and killed many, is nothing Thailand’s chicken product businesses are to worry about.
Mr. Yukol stated a number of foreign inspection teams have already visited Thai poultry farms and production facilities while Qatar was the latest country to lift its ban on Thai poultry imports because the World Organization for Animal Health has confirmed the virus has not been found in the country for more than a year.
He added that Thailand’s exports of cooked poultry to Qatar have continued to grow in the past years, with 25.8 million baht worth of 117 tons of chicken shipped to the Arab State in 2011.
The Agriculture Minister said the exports grew further to 150 tons and 35.4 million baht in 2012, while official recorded from 2009 to early 2013 showed a total of 393 tons of chicken products, worth 94.9 million baht, already sold to Qatar.
