Thai food processors could gain access to more export inputs under a proposal from Thai Chamber of Commerce Chairman Poj Aramwattananont, who says shortages are restricting the sector, the Bangkok Post reported.
Poj proposed allowing food producers to import raw materials, process them in Thailand and export the finished products. He said rules would have to guard domestic agriculture against harm from imports. Poj said the imported materials should go toward production for overseas buyers. The measure is aimed at processors and exporters facing an input shortage, while protection for local agriculture is part of the proposed framework.
Poj said Thailand has equipment to store food at low temperatures, sterilize it and package it in cans, but a shortage of production materials is limiting shipments of processed goods. He described Thailand as having strong export capabilities in fresh chicken, processed poultry and tuna. He added that those raw materials can also serve the pet-food industry, which he characterized as a fast-growing export sector. In Poj’s account, the constraint is the availability of inputs even where processing equipment is already in place.
Water management in agriculture is another challenge to strengthening the country’s “Kitchen of the World” position, Poj said. He cited conflicts around the world as one reason food security has become more urgent.
Visit Limlurcha, vice-chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said “future food” has become a global trend in the post-pandemic era. He described it as shaped by health, innovation and environmental sustainability. Visit singled out functional ingredients for their health benefits and said work has begun on how product labels can describe those benefits, an issue under discussion with the Thai Food and Drug Administration.
Visit said greater competitiveness for Thai food begins with agricultural research. He called for work on plant varieties that raise productivity and resist disease and pests, alongside breeding livestock that can better withstand epidemics.
