NESDC unveils blueprint for 14th plan to lift GDP and break low-growth trap

Danucha Pichayanan, secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), has outlined Thailand’s economic direction as the agency drafts the 14th National Economic and Social Development Plan, which is scheduled to take effect from 2028 to 2032.

He said the central objective of the 14th plan is to boost national economic growth, arguing that without sufficient growth the country will struggle to distribute benefits and welfare effectively across different groups. 

A key challenge, he added, is to push Thailand beyond the persistently low growth rates seen in recent years.

“We have already set out the framework. The main goal of the 14th plan is growth — we must create growth for the country. If Thailand does not grow, many things will not be useful in terms of sharing benefits with the wider public. But it must be growth that can genuinely be shared across different groups,” Danucha said.

He said Thailand must strengthen its existing industries while pushing into new ones, which will require faster investment and development in strategically important sectors. These priorities fall into two main areas.

First are industries where Thailand already has strong potential, such as agriculture and wellness. These sectors, he said, must be reshaped through greater use of technology and higher-skilled labour. 

Agriculture in particular remains the livelihood base for much of the population, and shifting towards “smart farming” would help raise yields and deliver real income distribution to rural communities.

Second are future industries in global demand, such as semiconductor manufacturing, alongside stronger investment in innovation and environmental priorities.

“We want to create differentiation for Thai goods and services. Whether it is food or wellness, we must focus on quality and niche markets rather than competing on volume,” he said.

Danucha also stressed the importance of working closely with the private sector. He said the public sector must coordinate more effectively with businesses, noting that the NESDC has been working through a platform known as “Reinvent Thailand” to address bottlenecks that slow private-sector operations and delay projects.

He said the platform is designed to overcome policy discontinuity and the slow pace of traditional large committee structures by using agile sub-groups for each industry. It also gives the private sector a larger role in raising issues, as businesses often have the clearest understanding of operational challenges.