CHANTHABURI – A meeting was held between the provincial administration of Chanthaburi and Chinese importers on ways to increase Thai fruit exports to the Guangxi autonomous region in southern China.
Chanthaburi Governor Somsak Parisoottho Heimthanon received head of the Provincial Office of Commerce Niannuwa Sulaiman, and visiting Chinese traders from the Guangxi autonomous region. They discussed the distributors’ hurdles, suggestions, and Chinese consumers’ demand for Thai fruits, particularly mangosteen and durian which are quite popular at the moment.
China’s Guangxi autonomous region last year purchased about 30,000 tons of fruit from the province via cooperatives, said the Chinese visitors, adding that they are pushing for an increase in quality fruit imports from Thailand this year. The fruits will be transported to Guangxi via Mukdahan, Nakhon Phanom, Lao PDR and Vietnam.
Chanthaburi officials agreed to hold discussion with cooperatives which act as proxies of local agriculturalists at a later date. The discussion is to ensure the transparency of fruit distribution deals to be made with Chinese traders and at the same time help prevent over supplies and falling prices, thus increasing income of Thai farmers.
