Thamanat orders agricultural envoys to boost Thai crop exports

Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao on Thursday instructed agricultural attachés in 11 countries to step up efforts to expand overseas sales of Thai agricultural products.

He issued the directive during a teleconference with 11 overseas representative offices of the Office of Agricultural Affairs.

‘Market-led, innovation-supported, higher income’ strategy

During the meeting, Thammanat said the ministry is prioritising a “market-led, innovation-supported, higher income” strategy, built on three key pillars:

• Strengthening confidence in core, established markets to protect Thailand’s market share.
• Targeting high-potential products to open new opportunities, including dried seahorses, dried geckos, live crocodiles for consumption, and breeding crocodile parent stock for farming.
• Expanding networks by deepening cooperation with key trading partners, including China, and widening sales channels—such as digital platforms—so Thai products can reach consumers more directly.

Push to tackle non-tariff barriers and speed up deals

Thammanat stressed that agricultural attachés must work proactively to deal with tightening non-tariff measures, particularly environmental regulations. He also called for faster problem-solving to remove obstacles affecting Thai exports and maintain competitiveness in global markets.

He instructed officials to closely track the drafting and signing of agriculture-related agreements currently under negotiation to deliver concrete market-opening results.

2025 trade growth and new priorities

Agricultural attachés reported that Thailand’s agricultural trade in 2025 continued to expand in major markets including China, the European Union and the United States, despite challenges in the global economy. Several Thai agricultural and food products were also maintaining positive momentum.

Thammanat urged the attachés to accelerate the removal of barriers while maintaining product standards and identifying opportunities in new markets.

Bananas to Japan and Expo 2027 preparations

The ministry said it will step up coordination with relevant agencies to push exports of Thai Cavendish bananas to Japan to fully utilise the quota, noting that Thailand is currently using only 31% of the allocated volume.

Thammanat also instructed relevant agencies to prepare for Thailand’s participation in the International Horticultural Expo 2027 (GREEN x EXPO 2027) in Yokohama, Japan, to promote Thai agricultural products on the global stage.