Food fair kicks off with aim to make Thailand world food hub 

By positioning itself as one of the leading global hubs for quality agricultural products and food,  the country aims to generate over THB10 billion in trade value during the five-day event.

Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said during the opening ceremony that Thailand has now emerged as the 13th biggest food exporter in the world and fourth biggest in Asia. 

Jurin said that though Thailand is quite strong in this market, competing with others and remaining the leader calls for some transformation to guarantee its premium quality products.  

"The food and beverage industry plays a vital role in the Thai economy with a market share of 2.3 per cent in global trade. Despite the broad range of international trade constraints due to the global pandemic, Thailand’s food and beverages sector has managed to export over THB286 billion in the first quarter of 2022, growing 28.8 per cent compared to the same period of 2021. So, this means that this market is a strong growth opportunity for the country," said Jurin.

He added that the export success stemmed from the teamwork of the public and private sector commerce mechanism, specifically the Joint Public and Private Sector Consultative Committee on Commerce. 

"This body serves as a crucial mechanism to resolve trade issues, especially the international-related ones. One outcome derived from this mechanism was the reassurance to the world that Thai products, especially in the food and  agriculture industry, are safe and Covid- free," he said.

In addition, Jurin has initiated a collaboration between four ministries --  Commerce, Public Health, Agriculture and Cooperatives, and Interior -- to issue the Covid-19 Prevention Best Practice Certificate to 262 factories. 

He insisted that the goal of this certification is to successfully establish safety standards and traceability to increase confidence and upgrade Thailand into the global hub for quality agricultural products and food.

In order to serve the world's demand for sustainability, Jurin added that another key policy is to ensure Thai food follows the
Bio-Circular-Green Economy model. To achieve this, he has instructed the Department of International Trade Promotion to establish a comprehensive “soft power” strategic plan. "This plan will not only promote Thai cuisine to the world but also imprint the unique and captivating Thainess in the heart and conscience of people around the world. This will in turn lead to a higher demand for Thai products and services while growing Thai exports to the world," Jurin said. 

In addition, the Ministry of Commerce has continuously developed various international trade promotion activities to meet the changing demand of international buyers, Jurin added.

This year, while many countries have started reopening to international travellers, Thailand continues to rebrand from “Thai food” to “The World’s Food”. 

As Asia’s largest and most comprehensive food and beverage trade show, Thaifex – Anuga Asia 2022 “The Hybrid Edition” is being held under the concept “Re-imagine the Future of the Food & Beverage Industry”. This is in response to the high demand of buyers who wish to travel to do business in Thailand. 

The on-site fair runs from May 24-28 at Impact Muang Thong Thani, in Nonthaburi province. Meanwhile, those who cannot travel to Thailand can still visit the Thaifex Virtual Trade Show via the online platform held in parallel with the on-site trade event. 

Jurin expects the “hybrid” trade fair to generate over THB10 billion in revenue to the Thai economy.