Thailand’s exports show sign of recovery. (Photo: bangkokpost.com)Bangkok (VNA) – Automobiles and auto parts, electronics andagricultural products will drive Thai exports in the final quarter of this year,though shipments overall will remain sluggish for 2023, according to the Federation ofThai Industries (FTI).
Kriengkrai Thiennukul, chairman of the FTI, acknowledged demandfor these products in the global market is expected to keep increasing,supporting Thai exports that slowed for many months this year.
The country’s Commerce Ministry reported that afterseveral months of declines, Thailand's exports increased for a secondstraight month in September, gaining 2.1% year-on-year to 25.5 billion USD,while imports fell by 8.3% to 23.4 billion USD.
The uptick in September exports was driven byagricultural and agro-industrial products, with the export of durian andmangosteen to China posting significant growth, as did rice exports to SouthAfrica and Indonesia.
According to the ministry, industrial exports continue toexpand, aligned with trends such as solar cells and mobile phones. Meanwhile, automotiveproducts make up 10% of total Thai exports.
However, the conflict in the Middle East has car manufacturers whoexport to the region concerned. This area is a key market for the Thaiautomotive industry.
FTI’s Automotive Industry Club revealed that pickups are popular in the Middle East and the export of this could decline if the disputecannot be settled through negotiations.
The FTI Chairman urged the government to launchnew measures to improve the Thai economy in the first half of next year,especially during the Songkran festival.
Besides, he said the government also needs tobetter manage the energy price structure in the long term by reducing the powertariff to 2.3-2.7 THB (0.064- 0.076 USD) per kilowatt-hour (unit), down from 3.99 THB per unit at present./.
