Govt agency to ramp up global promotion of Thai silk

Arthit Wuthikaro, director-general of the Industrial Development Department, told The Nation that being under the Ministry of Industry, the department’s major responsibility is to support small and medium-sized enterprises.

"Our responsibility is to provide support to local SMEs as well as community enterprises to run their business more efficiently, via value-creation activities, including innovation and the development of product designs, and the application of modern management techniques. The aim is to help those individual entrepreneurs sustain their business long-term," Arthit said.

He added that his department had also encouraged SMEs and community entrepreneurs to group together into clusters and networks to strengthen their competitiveness.

"We are trying to give them new wisdom that they can use in adding value and make their businesses more progressive for the whole supply chain, both up- and downstream, particularly in the areas of know-how and technology and management skills."

The Department of Industry Promotion recently announced the launch of the 15th "Thai Silk Festival", which aims to make the Thai silk industry more international. To be held from December 9 to 15 in Pak Thong Chai, the fair seeks to position Thailand as an important hub for silk in the global marketplace.

Market worth Bt4.1 bn

The Thai silk market, which is concentrated in northeastern provinces such as Buri Ram, Surin, Chaiyaphum and Nakhon Ratchasima, is worth more than Bt5 billion per annum. There are about 10,000 individual silk producers in Nakhon Ratchasima. In Pak Thong Chai district alone, about Bt4.1 billion worth of silk products are made annually.

Thai silk is world famous for its quality. Jim Thompson, which has enjoyed a strong reputation around the world, has a manufacturing base in Pak Thong Chai.

"Thailand has highly skilled labour, especially upcountry, to produce silk. The government also wants to develop the Thai silk industry to be more competitive in the global market. That will help Thai farmers improve their lives, and also the community in general," Arthit said.

Fashion connection

He said his department’s support to individual silk producers was part of a project created previously by the Ministry of Industry to make the Thai fashion industry, including garments and jewellery, more productive.

"We will focus next year on the promotion of Thai fashion products in foreign markets, particularly Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam). Various major events will be hosted to stimulate the growth of the local fashion industry."

He said silk was an important ingredient in the making of fashion garments.

"What we want to do is to make Thai silk unique and respond to wider groups of individual customers, who have different demands and tastes," Arthit said. "It should be in line with global fashion trends, in terms of both design and material."

Panu Yamsri, deputy governor of Nakhon Ratchasima province, said: "Thailand is a famous place for silk products in the world. The Kingdom is also a large exporter of silk products to the global market.

"As silk is well known as the queen of textile fibres, many provinces in the Northeast are now able to make unique qualities of silk, such as Pak Thong Chai district in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The silk output from there has high quality, soft texture, and non-fading colours," he said.

He said the global demand for Thai silk would increase every year, including in Europe and North America, which need silk to decorate hotels, packaging, and brand name products.

Last year, Thailand exported around Bt843.27 million worth of silk products overseas, including Bt101.47 million for cocoons, Bt281.68 million of silk cloths, and Bt490.11 million from other silk products.