Eastern fruit corridor being planned

The Ministry of Industry is responsible for the Eastern Fruit Corridor project, which is expected to be set up in the "Smart Park” to be developed by the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand in the eastern province of Rayong.

The feasibility study will be concluded in September 2018, with the arrangements of public forums to sound out the opinion of stakeholders. A survey on investor interest in the project will be carried out between October and December. Construction of related systems will begin in 2019, and the operations of the Eastern Fruit Corridor project will be launched in 2020.

The Board of Trade of Thailand suggested that the project connect with fruit-producing areas across the country, as well as those in neighboring countries. The project should also be managed professionally, and in the next step, it should also include other products that require cold storage, as well.

Thailand is a major fruit-producing country, exporting not only to regional markets but also to the world at large. It has a diversity of fruit species, both temperate and tropical. Tropical fruit crops, such as durian, rambutan, mangosteen, longkong, and zalacca are grown in abundance in the eastern provinces of Rayong, Chanthaburi, and Trat. 

The Government is implementing a comprehensive fruit trade strategy to move Thailand toward becoming a fruit capital of the world. Chanthaburi, in particular, is being developed into a fruit hub of Asia, because the province is rich in many tropical fruit varieties of high quality.

Relevant agencies are working together in setting fruit standards in order to create more confidence in Thai fruit among both local and international consumers. Emphasis is placed on achieving the standard of "Good Agricultural Practices,” which is a guideline for any production system at farm level to obtain agricultural products of good quality.