Chalermchai highlights safety, security, sustainability of Thai agriculture to international envoys
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chalermchai Srion held a conference to announce the government’s agricultural policies to ambassadors of 62 countries and representatives of international organisations.
“The ministry is committed to improving Thailand’s agricultural sector in terms of stability, sustainability and technological advancement to promote Thailand as the ‘world’s kitchen’,” he said. “We will work with domestic and international partners under the 3S framework, which consists of safety, security and sustainability.”
Regarding the safety aspect, the ministry would ensure agricultural products are certified under international standards from farm to table, such as GAP and GMP, Chalermchai told the envoys.
“As for security, we will promote the export of raw and processed agricultural products to as many overseas markets as possible to strengthen our goal of being the world’s kitchen and one that is ready to support the stability of food supply and prevent food shortage during unexpected events,” he said.
“The Covid-19 crisis is a good example of our efforts, which has seen Thailand increase regulations on food safety instead of resorting to export prohibitions. This ensures global food supply is not interrupted while safety standards are still maintained.
“Under sustainability, the ministry has employed sustainable approaches to manage water and soil resources for agriculture, as well as tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing to ensure aquatic resources last for generations,” he said.
“Furthermore, the ministry has established 77 agritech and innovation centres nationwide to provide information and technological support to farmers using big data to ensure they have up-to-date information on meteorological conditions and market demand, and enable them to use modern technology to add value to their products,” Chalermchai added.
