Ministry sets six strategies to spur exports
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THE COMMERCE MINISTRY has unveiled six strategies to support sustainable export growth.
The strategies focus on cross-border trade, creating industrial clusters, prioritising markets for roadshow missions and solving trade obstacles, increasing human-resource efficiency, increasing trade fairs’ efficiency, and reaping the benefits from the rise of e-commerce.
To ensure effective implementation of the plan, Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn and her deputy, Suvit Maesincee, yesterday chaired a meeting with Thai overseas trade officials working in more than 60 countries to assign their tasks and adjust their work.
Apiradi said the aim of the strategies was to ensure a continuous increase in exports as well as ensure the competitiveness of the country’s enterprises globally.
Despite expecting exports to contract by 3 per cent this year, the ministry will try to adjust its strategies to stimulate export growth in the remaining months of the year as well as encourage more growth next year. In November, it will establish an export target for next year so that it will have clearer goals.
Apiradi said the first strategy was to drive cross-border trade and expand exports to nearby countries with strong economic growth such as China and India. All involved government agencies and private enterprises will be linked to support the expansion of international trade.
The ministry’s provincial officials, who normally focus only on internal trading issues, must also help enterprises within their jurisdictions to trade with neighbouring countries and globally.
The next strategy is to set up business or industry clusters to support trade in goods as well as by-products and services.
Third is to prioritise roadshow missions to promote trade and investment overseas, as well as urgently solve trade obstacles and negotiate free-trade pacts.
Fourth is to improve human-resource efficiency by encouraging Thai trade officers overseas to be real marketers.
Next is to enhance the efficiency of trade fairs to reach targeted consumers in each market.
The final strategy is to benefit from the popularity of e-commerce by promoting Thai export products and support small and medium-sized enterprises.
Buniga Chamsai, Thai commercial consul in Shanghai, said that despite weaker exports to China and the depreciating yuan, exports in the remaining months and next year should increase, since China’s economy was still growing strongly and there was high demand for many products.
Businesses that should focus more on China are animation, film and entertainment, spas and wellness, and innovation-related enterprises.
Somdet Susomboon, executive director of the Thai Trade Centre in New York, said exports to the United States should grow by a strong 3.5 per cent this year thanks to the economic recovery in that country.
However, the depreciation of the yuan will affect Thai export competitiveness, he said.
