Bid to get eucalyptus in AEC contract farming
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The Commerce Ministry will seek Cabinet permission for import of eucalyptus trees under contract farming within the Asean Economic Community (AEC) to increase supply for the paper and furniture industry.
Ministry permanent secretary Yanyong Phuangrach said that to capitalise on the free flow of zero-tariff imports under the Asean Free Trade Agreement, Thailand should seek more benefits so that Thai industries secure adequate supply with stable prices.
He pointed out that furniture manufacturers and printers had asked the ministry to allow import of eucalyptus, as there is high demand while Thailand has a limited supply and the price is high.
The printing and furniture industries have grown each year, especially printing and paper exports, so the government should allow import of eucalyptus to support their continued growth, said Yanyong.
According to the Department of Export Promotion, exports of printing, paper and packaging products surged by 150.2 per cent to US$4.97 billion (Bt145 billion) in the first eight months of this year, while exports of furniture grew by 2.1 per cent to $770 million during the same period.
The ministry will propose to the Cabinet the establishment of a working committee dealing with goods under contract farming with Asean countries so that Thailand can ensure a balance of demand and supply of each product in the country, while local farmers will not lose out to farm products from Asean countries.
