THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Industry chief Suriya wants to ramp up use of local construction materials in infrastructure

Industry chief Suriya wants to ramp up use of local construction materials in infrastructure

Industry Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit plans to have his ministry promote the extensive use of local construction materials in mega-infrastructure projects.
Suriya, who revealed the plan after a discussion with representatives of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), said the proportion of local materials used in the big projects could reach 90 per cent.
“Thailand has a capability to produce almost all kinds of construction materials at high quality,” he said. “I have tasked the FTI to list domestic material manufacturers who have achieved appropriate industrial standards. Then, I will submit that list to the Comptroller General’s Department so they can focus on Thai manufacturers first when procuring for construction materials in mega projects.”
The minister said the discussions with the FTI also addressed the problem that some Asean countries are using import barrier against Thai products, such as by employing extensive inspection procedures that cause delays and diminish the country’s trading opportunities.
“To handle this problem, the Industry Ministry will use similar measures against products from those countries,” he said. “We will work with the Thai Industrial Standards Institute to set strict inspection standards for imported products. Hopefully this will prompt those countries to revise their measures. If not, at least we will have stricter measures that protect Thai people from low-quality products.”
FTI president Suphan Mongkolsuthee said that he agreed with the government’s policy to promote the use of Thai construction materials in mega-projects at a rate of up to 90 per cent. “However, this policy should be extended to cover the 12 target industries as well, so that the manufacturers will be guaranteed access to available markets after those mega-projects are completed,” he said.
“It is important to include Thai manufacturers in the production chain of future projects, as it will promote technology development and investment in the long term.”
Suphan also suggested that both the government and private sectors should work together to promote the use of Thai products at a larger scale. “The government should include the ‘Made in Thailand’ project in the national agenda, promoting the use of locally manufactured products and raw materials at every level, ranging from retail consumption to organisational procurement in both the public and private sectors.”
“This effort will not only help improve Thailand’s product quality in the long run, but also reduce the country’s reliance on exported products,” he said.

RELATED
nationthailand