Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra government would further boost agricultural and food businesses so that Thailand could become a world center for food production and trade.
Yingluck made the announcement while opening the Thaifex-World of Food Asia 2012 fair in Muang Thong Thani in the outskirts of Bangkok, saying that Thai food exports are important, as they have generated an annual national income of over US$20 billion.
Yingluck acknowledged that although natural disasters have affected the overall Thai exports, shipments of Thai food products alone to overseas markets have kept growing because of rising food consumption worldwide; so, Yingluck sees growth potential for Thailand’s overall production and exports.
The government is particularly promoting Thai food, including halal food products, internationally to boost the national economy.
After the opening ceremony, Yingluck visited booths, bought and tasted food products at the Thaifex-World of Food Asia 2012, aimed at demonstrating Thailand’s capabilities of food production, technology and relevant services, as well as promoting the country to be a largest center for food trade in Asia.
The four-day fair, from 23-27 May, is expected to draw over 90,000 visitors, generating a national income of over 13 billion baht and helping Thailand to reach its targeted food export growth of 12 % this year.
