BANGKOK, 28 October 2013 The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) has admitted that the Thai food export will miss its anticipated target by 20 billion baht.
The country’s food export this year, according to the FTI, will stand at 980 billion baht, 20 billion baht lower than its anticipated figure of one trillion baht, adding that the drop in agricultural export, especially rice, is the main factor causing the lower-than-expected number. The FTI went on to say that it could not set its 2014 food export target yet as the market is now unstable.
The FTI is calling on the government to help Thai SMEs find and gain a foothold in new markets as well as help them in researches and innovation in a bid to add value to Thai food products.
The FTI also suggested ways to boost the country’s food industry, saying the Ministry of Tourism and Sports could play an important role in doing so by creating Thai food eating culture among foreigners as well as promoting Thai food products through movies, as it is the fastest and most effective way to make Thai food known to all.
