Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin led a team of officials on a detailed visit to Ratchaburi province today (May 12), engaging in meaningful discussions focused on enhancing tourism and agriculture to increase local incomes. His visit commenced with a tour of Sri Muang Market, a central agricultural hub that acts as a direct distribution point for fruits, vegetables, and other products to Southern Thailand and international markets like Malaysia, Singapore, and Myanmar.
During his time at the market, Srettha interacted with various vendors and expressed his gratitude for their hospitality. He praised the market’s direct sales model for boosting profits for local farmers by removing middlemen. Addressing product pricing, the premier highlighted a recent increase in onion prices from 7-8 baht to 17-18 baht per kilogram, advocating for a minimum price of 20 baht to match the higher rates seen in current markets.
The prime minister later chaired a meeting at the Ratchaburi Provincial Hall with top officials to discuss the province’s developmental strategies. The gathering focused on several strategic issues, such as relaxing forest land use restrictions, improving drought management efforts, and promoting aromatic coconut production to enhance the e-commerce sector and encourage greater international consumption.
The meeting discussed Khao Ngu Stone Park’s potential development into a primary tourist site. Plans were discussed to enhance its appeal and connect it with other local attractions to boost community income. The visit took Srettha and his team to the Rattanakosin Pottery Factory 1, known for its distinctive dragon-patterned water jars, and Wat Sri Suriyawongsaram, where they paid respects to Phra Phrom Mongkhon Watcharachan, a highly respected member of the Buddhist community.
The prime minister noted that the insights from the visit would enable the government to formulate future development strategies and offer support to bolster Ratchaburi’s cultural and economic growth, strengthening the province’s position as a central hub for food and tourism in the region. (NNT)
