Thai food and herbs bid for pride of place at Asia Pacific exhibition

The event is expected to help promote Thai food as a soft power.

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said at the opening ceremony on Tuesday that the country's abundant and diverse agricultural products, such as rice, vegetables, fruits, and cassava, contribute to Thailand's true strength in the industry.

Aside from being a significant source of food ingredients, the country is also well known for its excellent food processing know-how, food innovation inventions, safety standards, and sustainability concept, he noted.

All of these factors, he said, increased the country's competitiveness as well as its potential to be the world's kitchen.

Thaifex - Anuga Asia 2023 is actually another important part of making Thailand a world food hub, he said.

"The event repeatedly emphasises the potential of Thailand as a leading producer and exporter of world-class food and is a major annual platform that allows Thai entrepreneurs to meet, engage in trade negotiations and form business networks with importers around the world, increasing their opportunity to expand their export to overseas markets," Jurin said.

According to the Commerce Ministry, Thailand was the world's 15th biggest food exporter in 2022, with export value of 1.36 trillion baht, a 22.7% increase over the previous year. The industry is still expanding because global food demand has never decreased.

With global population growth expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, up from 8 billion today, this scenario will significantly drive the food industry to grow rapidly.

"Thailand is able to serve the global market's fast-changing demand and has the potential to export and meet the needs," he said, adding that in addition to being the world's kitchen, food will be the country's soft power, making people all over the world fond of Thailand.

Thai herbs and their benefits, for example, would be ideal for meeting the global demand for health and wellness, he said.

Meanwhile, he noted that the country intends to demonstrate its food technologies and innovation with the assistance of the Thai private sector and government support, which would allow the private sector with high expertise to take the lead.

He explained that the government helps by removing all types of export barriers, establishing a joint committee on commerce to devise a concrete export strategy, working closely together to solve problems on the ground, and proactively finding solutions for rapid accomplishment.

The Commerce Ministry, the Thai Chamber of Commerce, and Koelnmesse are collaborating to organise Thaifex - Anuga Asia 2023. More than 3,000 exhibitors, including Thai and international exhibitors, will be present this year, with nearly 6,000 booths from over 40 countries. Over 95,000 visitors from 140 countries are expected, with a trade value of more than 70 billion baht for Thailand.

The event will run until Saturday (May 27).