‘Global warming and smog are boosting production of Thai air conditioners’
Scorching heat and air pollution have driven production of air conditioners in Thailand to their highest level in eight years, the Office of Industrial Economics said on Thursday.
Warawan Chitaroon, its general director, said Thailand exported about US$850 million worth of air conditioners in March alone, up 16.7% from the same month last year.
In the first quarter of this year, $2.27 billion worth of air conditioners were exported from Thailand, a rise of 2.85% over the same quarter last year, she added.
The Manufacturing Production Index for air conditioners in Thailand reached 144.39 in March, up by 7.1% year on year and is forecast to remain high.
Thailand's temperatures are rising due to global warming, and in April – the hottest month – the heat index, which combines temperature and humidly, is equivalent to 50 degrees Celsius, Warawan said.
The air-purifying function in air conditioners has also driven up domestic demand, especially in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, where air pollution is acute, she said.
Thailand has become the world's second-largest exporter of air conditioners after China, she said.
About 80% of air conditioners exported from Thailand go to the United States, other Asean nations, and the Middle East, Warawan said.
She said 75% of air conditioners made in Thailand are exported and the rest are sold domestically.
