Thai Commerce Ministry reveals 2018 trade negotiation plan

[webfact]

Commerce Ministry reveals 2018 trade negotiation plan

 

NONTHABURI, 28th March 2018, (NNT) - The Commerce Ministry has held a press conference at its headquarters in Nonthaburi province and revealed its 2018 trade negotiation plan. 

According to Department of Trade Negotiations (DTN) Director-General Auramon Supthaweethum, her department has dispatched negotiators to meet local farmers, in preparation for the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Australia and New Zealand. 

She said that an emphasis will be placed on producing higher quality coffee, beef and dairy products, all of which will face tougher competition in the global market in the next 3-8 years when the Kingdom relaxes import duties on these products from Australia and New Zealand. 

The DTN Director-General added that previously officials from her department and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, have visited the farmers of the three products and found that most of them are aware of the FTA deal as well as the government’s agricultural promotions that are applicable to them.

 

Director-General Auramon said governmental units will offer their assistance in terms of providing information on produce processing knowledge and registering their products as Geographical Indication (GI) goods. She said that the move will strengthen local products and establish a customer base before more imported goods arrive on the Thai market when the tariff is relaxed. 

When asked about the trade barrier on steel and aluminum by the U.S., the DTN Director-General replied that the department will continue to monitor the US’s policies. However, she is optimistic about the measure, saying that the U.S. may only target its major competitors, such as China. Nevertheless she said that further negotiations will be pursued with the US to formulate appropriate action.

 

-- nnt 2018-03-28

[Thian]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

She said that an emphasis will be placed on producing higher quality coffee, beef and dairy products, all of which will face tougher competition in the global market in the next 3-8 years when the Kingdom relaxes import duties on these products from Australia and New Zealand. 

Thai coffee is far overpriced, even for half the price i wouldn't buy it since there's better available.

 

Good Beef is very good in Thailand but very hard to find....they do have it though.

 

Dairy products are fine but also too expensive...why is yoghurt more than double the price of milk while it's very easy to make from milk??

 

Yup Thailand will get a hard time but that's perfect for raising standards. Should have happened 20 years ago already.

Edited March 28, 2018 by Thian

[blackcab]

Thai beef is really quite bad. I don't think most Thai people realise quite how bad it is because it's normally sliced into thin strips. If you have a Thai steak it's quite hard work.

 

Thai dairy is ok, but overpriced.

 

Coffee? I've yet to taste anything worth drinking.

 

I hope this agreement brings better products to market at a fair price - which in turn raises the currently dire standards.

[Thian]

7 minutes ago, blackcab said:

Thai beef is really quite bad. I don't think most Thai people realise quite how bad it is because it's normally sliced into thin strips. If you have a Thai steak it's quite hard work.

 

Thai dairy is ok, but overpriced.

 

Coffee? I've yet to taste anything worth drinking.

 

I hope this agreement brings better products to market at a fair price - which in turn raises the currently dire standards.

Thailand has very good beef, i've been searching 15 years for it but finally found it....and nope i'm not going to tell where it's sold cause it 'll be mod lew next time i go buying.

 

But only that butcher has it, for the rest thai beef is good for making shoes.

 

Coffee is in the makro and Foodland...the brand Douwe egberts in the silver alufoil packets....best buy in the Makro...169 for 500 gram....

Edited March 28, 2018 by Thian

[blackcab]

5 hours ago, Thian said:

Thailand has very good beef, i've been searching 15 years for it but finally found it....and nope i'm not going to tell where it's sold cause it 'll be mod lew next time i go buying.

 

But only that butcher has it, for the rest thai beef is good for making shoes.

 

Coffee is in the makro and Foodland...the brand Douwe egberts in the silver alufoil packets....best buy in the Makro...169 for 500 gram....

 

So Thailand has enough good beef to feed a few people - a negligible quantity then. The fact is 99.9 per cent of it is rather nasty.

 

As for coffee - I was talking about Thai coffee that is grown in Thailand.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Quote

The elimination of 94 per cent of Thailand’s tariff and quota barriers on imports from Australia as of 2010, with the remaining tariffs phasing to zero in 2015 or 2020 (with the exception of skim milk powder and liquid milk and cream, for which the tariff rate quotas will be eliminated in 2025).

http://dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/in-force/tafta/Pages/thailand-australia-fta.aspx

 

That's odd.  Has anyone actually noticed any difference (meaningful reduction in price due to lowered tariffs) on anything of importance here???

 

How have I somehow managed to miss all the great benefits of that supposed 94% market of Australian imports to Thailand?

 

And then New Zealand:
 

Quote

 

Tariffs and quotas on all New Zealand’s exports will be progressively eliminated by 2025. On 1 January 2015, 65% of our exports entered Thailand duty free, including all fisheries products, all forestry products, buttermilk, wine, honey, deer velvet, butter fats and frozen potato chips.

 

https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/trade/free-trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements-in-force/thailand/

 

Hey!!! Only 7 more years to go until 2025... Great.. Meanwhile, I can enjoy tariff free New Zealand deer velvet and forestry products!!! Whoopee!!!!

Edited March 28, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK