Economy the priority in 2018, says govt
The economy will boom and extreme poverty will be eradicated this year, the government said on Monday – despite some signs of a deteriorating economy, including mass layoffs in several sectors.
Government spokesman Maj-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the priority would be to boost the economy and tackle bread-and-butter issues.
Sansern said the government planned to allocate “an amount of money” to the grassroots, using the tourism and agricultural sectors, as mechanisms to create sustainability in the economy.
“Many indexes – such as GDP growth and the inflation rate – are pointing out that the Thai economy has been strengthened,” he said. “Exports are also increasingly expanding. Mega-investment by the state, such as in transport and projects involving the Eastern Economic Corridor, too, will yield [good results].”
Investment would begin by the second quarter of this year after the tendering process on several big projects was completed, Sansern said.
He said that Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had acknowledged the people’s demand for the government to improve the economy.
The premier was aware that as well as improving the macro economy, it was also essential to strengthen the domestic economy by finding markets and adding value to agricultural products such as rice, rubber and palm oil, the government spokesman added.
However, Prayut was also encouraging low-income earners to try to set goals for their own lives, so they could improve themselves alongside the government’s efforts, Sansern added.