Thai food exports thrive amid global challenges

Anong Paijitprapapon, executive director of the Industry Ministry’s National Food Institute, highlighted the sector’s resilience.

Thai food exports in the first nine months of this year reached 1.16 trillion baht, marking a 4.6% increase, buoyed by drought conditions that curtailed agricultural production, driving demand across ASEAN and South Asia.

Despite a dip in Thai agricultural production, exports saw a surge due to increased market demand owing to the effects of El Niño, particularly in fresh fruits, rice, and sugar.

The Chinese and ASEAN markets played key roles, with a notable expansion of orders for fresh fruits, rice and sugar.

However, certain product categories faced contractions due to economic slowdowns in major trading partners like the US, Europe, China and Japan.

Challenges in agricultural raw material production, including cassava, pineapple and skipjack…