Thai agricultural products for consumers worldwide

The memorandum of cooperation was signed by the Permanent Secretary for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Chavalit Chookajorn, and the Permanent Secretary for Transport, Soithip Traisuthi.

The signing ceremony took place on 15 June 2015, and was witnessed by Transport Minister Air Chief Prajin Juntong and Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Petipong Pungbun Na Ayudhya.

The Transport Minister said that under this cooperation, fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as processed products, from farmers’ organizations and community enterprises would be sent to Thai Airways International for food preparation for passengers. These farm products are certified for their high quality by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.

He said that joint cooperation between the two agencies would promote the strength of Thai food and make Thai products better known among international consumers. Moreover, it would help empower farmers’ organizations and community enterprises, and they would have a new marketing channel. This will add value to the production of Thai fruit and vegetables, as well.

Another benefit is that it would help promote Thailand’s agro-tourism, in line with the Government’s "Discover Thainess” campaign. The campaign focuses on the creative tourism concept, under which tourists can immerse themselves in exclusively Thai activities, such as Thai boxing, Thai massage, Thai cooking, Thai classical dance, Thai way of life, Thai culture, and Thai experience.

Petipong said that Thailand produces many varieties of fruit and vegetables. Each year, Thai fruit and vegetable exports bring in more than 10 billion baht. Out of this amount, about eight billion baht comes from exports of frozen and dried fruit, while more than one billion baht comes from fresh and frozen vegetables.

He said that Thailand still has good potential for expanding its fruit and vegetable markets. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is encouraging farmers’ organizations and community enterprises to pay greater attention to processing fruit and vegetables to higher standards. This would enable farmers to become self-reliant and build a secure life for themselves.

President of Thai Airways Charamporn Jotikasthira said that the airline was ready to cooperate with farmers’ organizations and community enterprises. Their production standards meet the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) code and the "Q” mark, which is a quality and safety certification for agricultural commodities and food products. Thai Airways intends to select raw materials of high quality and high safety standards for its passengers.