Bright prospect for online sale of Thai durians, other products

BANGKOK, April 24 (TNA) - Thai durians now become a "best seller" on the Tmall.com website, developed by Alibaba Group Holding Limited, a world fastest growing China-based multinational e-commerce, retail, Internet, artificial intelligence (AI) and technology conglomerate run by Chinese business magnate Jack Ma. Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong told journalists of the update on Tuesday, noting that about 350 tons of Thai durians have been sold out through the Tmall.com website within two days. Sontirat said he expected that up to about 1,000 tons of Thai durians would be sold out through the Tmall.com website alone this year and would be sold out more and more in the coming years, thanks to the popularity of the Thai fruit among consumers and the modern e-commerce facility. Sontirat revealed that Thailand's varieties of durians and rice are sold through the Tmall.com website and his ministry will soon negotiate with the Alibaba Group to add more Thai goods, especially farm products, on its e-commerce lists. The minister pointed out that Thai farmers and business operators would benefit from the e-commerce system, in which only high quality and legally branded or patented products are allowed to be introduced and directly sold to buyers in a large amount. The minister announced that Thai farmers or business operators wanting to have their products promoted and sold on the Tmall.com website, free of charges and fees for 2018, are required to form in groups and legally register their corporate firms at his ministry's Department of Business Development and apply to be members of the thaitrade.com website, also run by his ministry, prior to the online trade on the Alibaba Group's growing e-commerce website with the "DBD Verify" mark. According to the minister, his ministry will then help launch a business matching between the legally-registered Thai firms with Chinese importers for their online trading operations, covering price negotiations and goods delivery processes. The minister stated that the legally-registered Thai firms will then be allowed to trade online at the flag ship store of his ministry's thaitrade.com website through separate categories under an integrated supervision of his ministry and other government-run agencies, including the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Royal Thai Police, after trading on the Chinese Tmall.com website for one year. Meanwhile, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha told reporters that the Thai government's cooperation with the Chinese Alibaba Group on the promotion and sale of Thai products through the e-commerce system is aimed to further develop Thailand's online trade and provide more option for both business operators and consumers. (TNA)