To promote Thai entrepreneurs’ utilization of free trade agreements (FTAs) the Department of Trade Negotiations (DTN) is holding an “FTA Products Fair” offering premium items from about 40 Thai manufacturers.
DTN Director-General Auramon Supthaweethum said her department has continually promoted the use of the FTAs Thailand has with trade partners among entrepreneurs, farmers, cooperatives, and community enterprises. The leveraging of the 14 FTAs with 18 countries has enabled the trade value between Thailand and trade partners to grow by 270% over the past 10 years. She said the DTN will continue to lead FTA negotiations and the focus will now be on European Union countries, the European Free Trade Association, and the United Arab Emirates. The director-general expects new FTAs as well as revised FTAs to come into play by early or mid-2024.
On the occasion of the DTN’s 81st anniversary, the department is holding an “FTA Products Fair” that brings together about 40 entrepreneurs, farmers, cooperatives, and community enterprises who have set up booths to offer their products. Modern trade store representatives have also been invited to the fair to observe the goods on offer and thus increase opportunities for the makers of the products who want to expand their markets. The representatives hailed from Central Food Retail, Lotus’s, Makro, and Thailand Post.
Aside from products sale, the fair offers activities such as “golden minute” special discounts, a consultation clinic for matters relevant to FTAs and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), consultation on international trade, and information about trade partners’ import tariffs.
Those interested may visit the fair until May 3rd at the Ministry of Commerce. (NNT)
