Eight projects to receive FTA Fund support
THE COMMERCE MINISTRY this year will hand over a budget under the FTA Fund for the development of eight projects in the production and service sectors, with a view to enabling businesses to compete under free-trade agreements.
Permanent secretary Wiboonlasana Ruamraksa said late last week that the fund should help increase competitiveness for Thai farmers and enterprises amid market liberalisation.
The eight projects approved for this year’s development have been chosen to give them the best chance of competing in light of liberalisation under three trade pacts in particular: the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement, the Asean Free-Trade Area and the Thailand-Australia Free-Trade Agreement.
The projects include the upgrading of three-star hotels in three provinces – Nakhon Phanom, Sakon Nakhon and Mukdahan – that border Laos; increasing the Thai-herb cosmetics industry’s penetration of the Asean Economic Community and international markets; human-resource development for logistics providers; development of a Pone Yang Kum livestock cooperative for promoting beef feeding and meat quality; and the development of Nonthaburi OTOP (One Tambon One Product) goods.
The other three approved projects are for the development of dairy products and packaging at the Varichphum Cooperative; innovation development for dairy products; and increasing the competitiveness of Thai garlic, shallot and onion growers.
During the nine years since its establishment, the FTA Fund has already helped 49 projects in the agricultural, industrial and service sectors to increase competitiveness amid trade liberalisation.
The fund has spent a total of Bt385 million from the Foreign Trade Department on these projects.
Wiboonlasana said the Commerce Ministry would next month open up the opportunity for other projects to receive support under the FTA Fund from the 2018 fiscal-year budget.
Meanwhile, the ministry’s Intellectual Property Department next month will launch the IP IDE Centre (Intellectual Property Innovation Driven Enterprise Centre) to provide consultancy for businesses on adapting innovation and knowledge for business development.
Thosapone Dansuputra, director-general of the department, said the centre would serve the “Thailand 4.0” policy to drive the growth of innovation and research and development in the Kingdom.
The IP IDE Centre will comprise four key units – Techno Lab, Idea Lab, Value Lab and Inter Lab – in training enterprises to focus on technology, idea creation, value-added products and services, and international market penetration, he said.
To facilitate enterprises, the IP Department will also open regional offices at seven universities – Chiang Mai University, Naresuan University, Khon Kaen University, Burapha University, Silpakorn University and Prince of Sonkhla University.
