Japan now Thailand’s biggest export market
Thanks to tariff cuts under the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEPA), effective since November 2007), Japan has topped the US as Thailand’s largest export destination. Exports total US $28.96 billion in the period January to July 2008. This is 18% up compared to the same period in 2007.
The biggest risers in export volumes are natural rubber, shrimps and prawns,
animal feed, and lenses according to Makoto Shiota, deputy director general for
international regional policy of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and
Industry. However, while bilateral trade between the two countries have
accelerated, Japanese investments in Thailand have shrunk, says Japan Chamber of
Commerce (JCC) in Bangkok president Fukujiro Yamabe, citing the global economic
slowdown, triggered by the US financial crisis, as the main
factor.
Sustainable shrimps
As shrimps are
one of the major export products, the Thai government wants to encourage farmers
to produce more and in a sustainable way. “Under the new quality development
roadmap 2009-11 we want to combine sustainable industrial development. This
would help to improve the industry’s negative image as having destroyed
mangroves over the past two decades” said Thanwaa Jitsanguan, Katsaterart
University vice-president special projects.
Niwat Suteemechaikul,
director-general of the Thai Fisheries Department, said a more hygienic
production and a “green” concept would be strong points the industry could use
to promote its products abroad, given the growing concern about food
safety.
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