Laos PDR has finally lifted a ban on seafood and frozen food imported from countries with a coronavirus outbreak including Thailand. The revocation has been in effect since 1st of May. It is expected that Thailand’s seafood and frozen food exported to Lao PDR will soon regain their previous position.
Minister of Commerce and Deputy Prime Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, said today that goods that can be exported to Lao PDR are required to have hygiene certification which will be provided by the Department of Fisheries and the Ministry of Public Health to Thai exporters.
According to the Minister, while the goods were banned, Thailand has had around 70 million baht worth of exports to Laos. Without the ban, exports are now expected to double or triple and could hit as much as 200 million baht by the end of 2021. Meanwhile, concerns that the price of seafood and frozen food for domestic consumption could rise, the minister assured Thais that there won’t be an increase in local prices.
Meanwhile, Myanmar continues to maintain its ban on all beverages being imported over the land border.
On May 7th, the Ministry of Commerce will discuss with Thai exporters and maritime shipping companies transferring most of the goods currently transported by land vehicles to ships instead, in order to stabilize the country’s exports to Myanmar.
The Thai National Shippers’ Council will be responsible for schedules and shipping costs to avoid larger capital costs for the sellers. Meanwhile, a Thai commercial ambassador in Myanmar will work with Myanmar ports to facilitate the process of receiving Thai goods arriving by ship. The effort is intended to stabilize Thai to Myanmar beverage sales, which generate over 10 billion baht a year. (NNT)
