‘Suffering’ longan farmers helping you
Asia exported over one million tonnes associated with fruit valued on 92 billion baht to China throughout the first half of this season, according to government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana.
He said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha aims in order to ramp up exports in various sectors and has laid down a policy to aid fruit sales abroad.
In between January and June, Thai exports grew 12. 7% through 2021 to go beyond US$149 billion (5. 5 trillion baht), exceeding the original target of 4-5% for the year as a whole, the spokesman said, citing information from the Business Ministry.
Exports of farming products and agro-industrial products contributed substantially towards the growth of overall exports worth more than $26. 5 billion dollars last month, he said.
Citing information from the Department of Farming, Mr Thanakorn said that between Feb one and July 21, there were 64, 903 shipments of fresh fruit to China, totalling 1 . 16 million tonnes and really worth more than 92 billion baht.
These included the particular export of more than 670, 000 tonnes associated with durian valued in 72 billion baht, which reflects Chinese consumers’ confidence in the quality and flavor of Thai fruit, he said.
In addition to durian, other fruits exported to China include coconut, mangosteen, longan, rambutan and pomelo, the spokesman mentioned.
Moreover, the Department of Agriculture has launched an electronic phytosanitary certificate, or e-Phyto, which usually helps support plus facilitate the foreign trade of fruits to China, Mr Thanakorn said.
However , Wisut Chainaroon, a Pheu Thailänder Party MP for Phayao, has known as on the government to pay more attention to the unemployed of longan growers in the North.
He said longan prices have got plunged to their cheapest level in 30 years, in contrast to rising global prices of farming products.
Moreover, the rising fertiliser prices also have rubbed salt into the wounds of longan growers, he said.
Mr Wisut said that Thailand is the world’s second-largest longan producer having an output of more than one million tonnes a year, second only to Tiongkok.
Yet Thailand is also the world’s biggest exporter of longan — whether they are new, frozen or dried, Mr Wisut mentioned.
The particular 1 . 7 million rai for expanding longan in the country — 1 . 3 mil of which are in the particular North — create about 30 billion dollars baht for the country each year, he said.
However , calls for aid designed for longan growers may actually have fallen on deaf ears, the opposition MP bemoaned.