Depth report

　　

Thailand's commerce Ministry recently released data show that in April this year, Thailand's exports increased by 6.8% year on year; In the first four months, total exports rose 1.4 per cent year on year.

Agricultural products are Thailand's main export sector. Thai Ministry of Commerce trade policy and strategy office director Phuphon said that rice and other major agricultural exports of Thailand will maintain a positive growth trend in the future, is expected in the second quarter of this year exports will grow 0.8% to 1%. According to the data released by the Thai Rice Exporters Association, in the first quarter of this year, Thailand's rice exports reached 2.5 million tons, an increase of 49%. Rice exports in April were about 800,000 tons, up more than 60 percent from a year earlier. Rice exports are expected to reach 8 million tons this year.

Since the fruit harvest season began in April, the export volume of Thailand's tropical fruits such as durian, mango, mangosteen and longan has continued to increase. The Thai government has recently launched a number of initiatives to promote Thai-specific agricultural products. The Ministry of Commerce of Thailand launched the commercial matching project of fresh and freeze-dried fruits and other agricultural products, and cooperated with fruit importers from various countries to strengthen the publicity and promotion of Thai specialty agricultural products. Thailand's Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives recently plans to issue durian industry standards to monitor the quality and maturity of different varieties of durians to ensure the quality of exported durians.

China is a major export destination for Thai fruits. At present, China and Thailand have opened 16 land import and export ports for fruits. Pingxiang Friendship Pass in Guangxi, located on the border of China and Vietnam, is an important land route for ASEAN fruits to enter China. In 2023, China imported 282,000 tons of Thai durians through the Friendship Pass Port, an increase of 162.4 percent year-on-year. At the Friendship Pass port, the Chinese customs authorities have continuously upgraded and optimized the intelligent logistics management platform, intelligent inspection assistance management system, and intelligent quarantine treatment system, and implemented a series of customs clearance facilitation measures such as the green channel for imported fruits and rapid laboratory testing to ensure that imported fruits can be controlled and customs clearance is fast. The Thai side has extended the working hours of checkpoints, opened more entry and exit transportation channels, increased the number of containers and other measures to improve the accessibility of Thai fruits to markets across China.

Industrial products such as auto parts, machinery parts and chemical products also account for a considerable proportion of Thailand's exports. Exports of manufactured goods rose 9.2 per cent in April from a year earlier. The Thai government continues to increase investment in digital technology, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, electric vehicles and other fields, continue to optimize the business and export environment, and promote the upgrading of industrial quality. According to local media reports, Thailand has signed 15 free trade agreements with other economies, covering more than 85% of Thailand's exports, and the tax incentives brought by free trade agreements have helped Thailand maintain competitiveness in agricultural and industrial exports.

Chai Tham, chairman of the Thai Maritime Export Council, said that due to the positive growth of exports of major agricultural products such as rice and fruit and major industrial products such as rubber products, automobiles and electronic parts, Thailand's exports are expected to reach 24.5 billion US dollars in May and June, and exports are expected to achieve 1% growth in the second quarter.