Chanthaburi to be developed as a fruit hub of Asia
The Ministry of Commerce aims to develop Chanthaburi in eastern Thailand into a fruit hub of Asia, as the province is rich in many tropical fruit varieties of high quality.
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Deputy Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong said that the Ministry of Commerce is joining forces with the Chanthaburi Provincial Administrative Organization in making Chanthaburi better known as a "fruit capital,” apart from one of the world’s largest gemstone trading hubs.
Chanthaburi has good potential since its fruit varieties are in great demand in both local and overseas markets. It has become one of Thailand’s major sources of tropical fruits. Major fruit crops that are grown in abundance in this province include durian, rambutan, mangosteen, zalacca, longkong, egg banana, and longan.
Tropical fruits from Chanthaburi are usually available in the market from April to July. In particular, durian, which is recognized as the "king of tropical fruits,” is grown in abundance in this province. It is a favorite fruit in many Asian countries, especially China, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam. It is also regarded as a fruit unique to Southeast Asia.
In order to promote Chanthaburi as a fruit hub in this region, a plan has been worked out for the organizing of an annual fruit fair titled "Chanthaburi Fruitpital Fair.” This year, the fair will be held in late May.
The Government has a plan to establish markets for particular products in major tourist destinations. Since Chanthaburi has tropical fruits as its major products, the establishment of such a market will enable farmers to have more marketing channels to sell their products and earn more income.
Around June each year, mangosteen and rambutan in Chanthaburi are likely to flood the market. The Ministry of Commerce is closely monitoring the situation and planning to distribute the fruit products effectively in order to prevent falling prices.
The province earlier proposed the "Chanthaburi model” for fruit management to prevent and solve the problem of fruit oversupply and falling prices. At the same time, the model is intended to seek more channels for fruit distribution from producing areas and to generate more income for farmers.
