Thailand eyes Nordic market for organic food exports

The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) is pushing the export of organic food products to Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) as consumers there are among the highest earners in the world and have recently become more health conscious.
DIPT director-general Banjongjit Angsusing said healthy and eco-friendly food products are becoming more popular among Nordic citizens, offering Thai goods a great opportunity to penetrate the market.
“Organic rice, coconut oil, herbs and spices, as well as foods high in nutrients or superfoods from Thailand are already a huge success in Finland,” she said. “Plus, Denmark and Sweden are among the largest organic food markets in the world. Not only do they import organic foods for domestic consumption, they also export them to other countries in Europe.”
DITP is advocating the “local to global” policy that focuses on bringing Thai brands to niche markets by building consumer confidence in quality and improving the overall product image. These markets usually consist of special groups such as senior citizens, health lovers, environmentalists and people who require special diets.
Next year, DITP and embassies of Nordic countries are planning to host a series of seminars on the export of organic food, innovation products and innovation-driven enterprises led by experts in respective fields for Thai entrepreneurs and investors, especially in the small and medium enterprise sector.
The department is also planning to help Thai businesses join international trade shows to promote joint ventures with Nordic corporations, which will help expand production bases and allow technology transfer from developed countries.
Last year, Thailand achieved trade worth US$3.022 billion (Bt93.05 billion) with Nordic countries, of which $1.29 billion accounted for exports and $1.733 billion for imports. Products that represented the largest export volumes were organic rice, herbs and spices, animal feed, coconut products, beauty products, eco-friendly clothes and utensils.