Commerce Minister asks farmers to improve competitiveness



TRAT, 13 June 2016 (NNT) – The Minister for Commerce has suggested that Thai farmers adjust to the current market and strengthen their powers of negotiation.

Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn, along with ministry officials, has just traveled to Trat province where she met a group of local fruit producers. She asked the producers to adopt new farming techniques in order to increase the quality of their fruit, which will in turn improve their competitiveness and negotiating ability in the intentional market.

Due to the recent drought crisis, prices of many fruit varieties in Trat have gone up slightly, although the production has not been as abundant as it used to be, the farmers told the minister.

The average price of mangosteens in the area has moved up from 80 baht to 115 baht per kilogram while prices of other fruit have been fluctuating in line with the current market situation.

-- NNT 2016-06-13

PM should be happy. This Minister does same as him, telling citizens to do this that different, without any support, policies or plans. Just do it!

I cannot understand how Thailand has managed to survive as a nation prior to 2014 without the all seeing, all knowing leadership the Kingdom now has.

Intentional market?

That would actually require them to plan!

Did she offer any advice apart from her little gem to do thing differently, this is the problem the world over with career politicians or public servants they really know nothing ,

Innovate. Now.

Can't they just use Sec. 44 and order the farmers to magically become more "competitive"?

why not ask them all to become millionaire's ? end of problem

woman has probably never even been on a farm in her life

thai3

You are probably 100% right (at least, not in Thailand) - https://www.usasean.org/asiasbestkeptsecret/speakers/tantraporn

Tantraporn

My new fav. name. Sounds so exotic, and tasteful too.

woman has probably never even been on a farm in her life

She sounds like that TAT woman.

Dear Minister,

You have been asking us to improve for 18 years & we have responded by producing a higher quality & a 60% yield increase.

What has the government done to help ,,,, sweet fanny adams except put more obstacles in our way.

Please stop the rhetoric NOW & if you wanna help ,,, help,,, stop the verbal diarrhoea

Perhaps the Government could improve quality controls and raise labour practices above the line of 'slavery' so that Thai products can be sold internationally without forever being embroiled in substantive allegations of 'toxic chemicals in vegetables, slave labour and human rights abuses in food production'.

why not ask them all to become millionaire's ? end of problem

Make all the farmers military generals and within a year they'll be millionaires.

Insights like this are why she gets paid the big bucks.

woman has probably never even been on a farm in her life

I think your right. I had a hard time getting past all the bling on body. Farming is tough today. In America its heavy equipment GPS weather projections market conditions computer tracking and in the end some still loose money when old mother nature refuses to cooperate. Needless to say farmers are now highly educated in the USA. Here hmm not so much here. They do not understand the 7 fat years 7 lean years principal. When times are good its a new truck party time when the years are lean its going hat in hand to the government. Farming no longer is inheriting a large plot of land from your parents and gung ho go forth and plant. It takes education and "seed" money and mother nature to succeed. When your working with a dumbed down population by the government well you know what is lacking.

At a meeting with people from OVEC and Ministry of Agriculture I said that Thailand need to mechanize and get agriculture up to a standard like in Europe as Thailand is 50-100 years behind, the response from the representative from Ministry of Agriculture was that Thailand shouldn't mechanize now because then so many people would be out of their jobs. Now the Ministry of Commerce say that the farmers should adopt to the new farming techniques... if only the different ministries could work together and have the same view...

Perhaps the Government could improve quality controls and raise labour practices above the line of 'slavery' so that Thai products can be sold internationally without forever being embroiled in substantive allegations of 'toxic chemicals in vegetables, slave labour and human rights abuses in food production'.

Sorry its a none starter. Costs to much money. They must stumble along on their own.

Insights like this are why she gets paid the big bucks.

All the bling on her body tells the tale.

Send out professionals to help