Meeting to coordinate export goals

The three days of meetings will be led by Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom. The International Trade Promotion Department, the Fiscal Policy Office, the Industrial Economics Office, the Agricultural Economics Office and the National Economic and Social Development Board will be represented.
The session will take place from Wednesday to Friday at the Commerce Ministry in Nonthaburi.
Srirat Rastapana, director-general of the International Trade Promotion Department, said it was confident of export growth next year under clear strategies to |promote exports to particular markets.
She said the meeting would gather information on trade and economic data of each export market from Thai trade counsellors and honorary trade advisers as well as from other government agencies and private enterprises for setting the export target for next year.
The strategy is not only the promotion of certain goods, but also investment overseas for long-term export expansion. Thailand could supply raw materials for other countries while also focusing on high-value-added products to ensure higher export income, she said.
Export-promotion activities next year will target the four giant Asian economies of China, Japan, South Korea and India, as well as Asean countries, as those markets account for 50 per cent of the Kingdom’s total export value.
Moreover, Thailand will benefit from the Asean Economic Community, not only through export growth but also to solve the shortage of labour, as other Asean countries could support Thai manufacturing and supply raw materials to some Thai industries.
Srirat said the ongoing economic slowdown in the West would not deter the Thai government and private sector from promoting trade growth.
Thailand will focus on promoting goods to the middle- and upper-income markets as they have high purchasing power.
The US government’s focus on shoring up the sagging real incomes of its middle class and the European Union’s plan to solve high unemployment should increase purchasing power in these areas. Thus demand for imports of food and goods from countries including Thailand should increase.
Other potential markets targeted by the government next year for promotion of Thai products are Russia and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, as they have emerging economic growth.
Moreover, the International Trade Promotion Department will promote Thai goods to the cyber-society, as it has high potential. Items that will be focused on via this channel are foods including halal foods, environmentally friendly goods, products of small and medium-sized enterprises, Otop (One Tambon, One Product) offerings, and hospitality services.