Chamber upbeat on food exports expanding 5% this year
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The Thai Chamber of Commerce is confident the food industry should grow by 5 per cent this year, in the absence of any adverse impact on exports from shrimp disease.
Next year’s growth is projected at 5-7 per cent, based on a continuing good outlook for the food and processed agricultural products sector.
Meanwhile, the chamber advises Thai food-business operators to put the emphasis on quality ahead of price in pursuing opportunities in Europe, and to enhance Thai Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) to promote the Kingdom as major global food supplier.
Isara Vongkusolkit, chairman of both the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand, said the United Nations had reported that the global demand for food would rise by more than 70 per cent by 2050, as the world’s population increases to 9.7 billion from the current 7 billion.
Hence, he said, the food industry would continue to be a vital, ever-expanding sector now and in the future. There is growing demand for quality processed/ready-to-eat products for health-conscious consumers – both children and adults alike.
Food-product manufacturers and exporters are advised to study their target markets carefully, especially in European countries such as Switzerland where emphasis on quality precedes prices, said Isara.
With trade barriers and higher tariffs expected to be used to protect local food producers from non-European competition, forming a joint venture with a reliable local company is one way to overcome such problems, he added.
Kalin Sarasin, secretary-general of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand, said Thai food exports in general this year should grow by 5 per cent, assuming the absence of any negative impact from shrimp disease.
The foods/processed agricultural products industry should be able to expand by 5 to 7 per cent next year following state and private cooperation in supporting the sector, he said.
Moreover, exports of ‘new’ products such as beverages have risen too, prompting some beverage-manufacturers to expand production capacity to meet rising foreign demand.
Meanwhile, future product development will have to incorporate the entire process – upstream to downstream – in how a product originates (planting) to the finished-product stage and delivery to consumers.
Consumers, he said, are becoming more concerned about whether products are made in an environmentally friendly manufacturing process that contributes positively towards society, and by a company with social responsibility operating in compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations that are traceable, he said.
Chatchai Boonrat, vice chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said it was vital that Thai food manufacturers focus on three key areas.
First, they should raise the Thai GAP standards for food-product exports.
Second, they should follow the global situation and trends relating to the food industry, and establish a committee to monitor/resolve problems for Thai food and processed agricultural-product manufacturers.
Third, they should set strategic plans to develop foods and processed products in collaboration with the appropriate agencies, including seminars to provide essential information to Thai business operators.
