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Investment in water, power, transport and telecommunications infrastructure in the Greater Mekong region should increase substantially over the next several years – offering long-term investors, such as insurance companies and pension funds, opportunities for yield enhancement and diversification, according to Fitch Ratings (Thailand).

Only limited numbers of bonds for alternative assets, such as property and infrastructure projects, have been issued in Thailand to date.

Thailand’s bond markets continue to develop with the issuance of real estate investment trusts and infrastructure bonds, as well as a broader range of entities accessing capital market funding in the longer term, it said at its semi-annual investor briefing in Bangkok |yesterday.

Cheap rice project

To help relieve consumers’ cost-of-living burden, the Commerce Ministry is scheduled to launch its cheap rice project on Monday with 1,000 tonnes of rice going on sale.

Boonyarit Kalayanamit, director-general of the Internal Trade Department, said yesterday the project aims to produce 5,000 tonnes of rice for sale to low-income earners.

White rice will be priced at Bt30 per two-kilogram pack and sticky rice at Bt50 per two kilos. The project will be joined by cooperatives from 58 provinces nationwide.

The ministry in cooperation with 10 producers is also today kicking off a campaign to sell cheap consumer goods to the public until January 31 at the shops of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives nationwide.

Digital integration

Most local marketers are aware that their brands should be more active on digital platforms but some of them are able to integrate multiple data sources for their real action, according to media research firm TNS.

TNS’ survey found that Thai businesses were investing more in data-driven digital platforms and tracking systems to help them understand the challenging online landscape.

Much of this data comes into the marketing department, with 38 per cent now managing real-time data as part of their role, Arpapat Boonrod, managing director of TNS in Thailand, said yesterday.