BANGKOK, Oct 20 — Thailand will export pork to Russia for the first time, and it is projected that Russian demand for Thai pork now is at 50,000 tonnes a year, said Chavalit Chookajorn, permanent secretary for Agriculture and Cooperatives.
After a recent survey on Thai livestock and fishery products, the Russian government has agreed to import more animal products, including pork, from Thailand. It is projected that exports of fishery products there would exceed 10 billion baht annually, said Mr Chavalit.
Exports of Thai pork to Russia were made possible after the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding with Thailand possibly exporting pork to Belarus and Kazakhstan later, he said.
Russian demand is estimated at 10 million pigs per year while Thailand is ready to export containers of pork to Russia within three to four months, said Mr Chavalit.
In another development, Commerce Minister Gen Chatchai Sarikulya will meeting today on how to increase Thai exports in 2015.
Thai commercial attaches and private representatives are scheduled to attend the brainstorming session.
Gen Chatchai said he wanted to see exports next year to exceed 4-5 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), as projected by several agencies earlier.
“At present, next year’s export target still can’t be fixed but it should be expanded as much as possible,” said Gen Chatchai.
