PM Anutin highlights food export opportunities for Thailand
Anutin calls for higher farm incomes and says border closures help prevent illegal agricultural imports that could affect Thai crop prices.
- Prime Minister Anutin identified global conflicts and food security needs as a key opportunity for Thailand to leverage its abundant food resources and increase exports.
- The government plans to implement better support structures for the food sector and improve farmers' incomes to capitalize on export opportunities.
- Favorable prices for rice and other agricultural products this year are cited as a reason for Thailand to showcase its food security capabilities to the world.
- An upcoming International Horticultural Expo in Udon Thani will serve as a platform to promote Thai agricultural products and exchange knowledge.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul discussed the importance of food security amid conflict and uncertainty in several regions of the world during the programme “Talk with PM Anutin” on Saturday (October 31, 2026).
Opportunities for Thai food exports
Food was people’s most essential need, Anutin explained.
Thailand’s abundant food resources and its ability to supply almost every region of the world offered an opportunity to demonstrate its food-security capabilities and generate global demand for Thai food.
Government spokesman Ekkapob Pianpises reported that the prime minister had said Thailand must put better structures in place to support these opportunities in the food sector.
Farmers, as food producers, must have higher incomes, money to spend, savings and a better quality of life.
Anutin also spoke about taking the national agriculture agenda to an off-site Cabinet meeting in Udon Thani for discussion and a policy launch, because the province was a hub of northeastern Thailand.
He noted that prices for rice and other agricultural produce were favourable this year and that Thailand should therefore showcase its food security.
He also encouraged the public to take an interest in the forthcoming Udon Thani International Horticultural Expo.
He described it as an event of international significance, providing a forum for exchanging knowledge about agricultural products and crops, alongside a wide range of academic activities.
No rush to restore Cambodia ties without sufficient confidence
Turning to border checkpoint closures and the situation along the Thai–Cambodian border, Anutin explained that the closures helped prevent agricultural produce from being smuggled into Thailand.
Such imports could affect prices received by Thai farmers, as illegal agricultural imports had previously affected prices and the competitiveness of Thai-grown produce.
He added that restoring relations between the two countries required consideration of several factors.
Issues including national interests and maritime areas containing natural resources still needed to be discussed, and Thailand’s confidence had to be built first.
These also included preventing problems caused by transnational crime and scam networks, which harmed the economy and the public.
Anutin stressed that policy must put national interests first and that relations should not be restored in haste without sufficient confidence.
