Exporters advised to uphold high quality of Thai fruits

BANGKOK, September 6 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Commerce has suggested that the country's exporters maintain the high quality of locally-grown fruits and keep improving their packaging styles and designs to be always on the modernized trend of the global market in order to sustain the country's market share in the long run. Chantira Yimrewat Wiwatrat, Director-General of the ministry's Department of International Trade Promotion, voiced the suggestion on Thursday to cope with the growing competition with Vietnam. Chantira said she has been reported by her department's office in Ho Chi Minh City of southern Vietnam that the lychee produce of the northeastern Vietnamese Bac Giang Province has been rising, expected to reach 207,000 tons totally this year. Chantira cited the report as stating that about 1,000 tons, out of the total 207,000 tons of lychee produce in Bac Giang Province alone have been set to be exported to 30 economies worldwide, including the United States, Canada, the European Union (EU), China, Japan and Australia, as well as emerging markets in Russia and the Eastern Europe, many of which are the same markets of Thai exporters. Besides, she has been informed that Vietnam's trade office in Malaysia has joined forces with other Malaysian agencies to facilitate and promote more imports of lychee, other fruits and vegetables, seafood and ready-to-eat food, with improved standards and packaging, from the Vietnamese market in order to boost the market share of Vietnam. "To sustain the market share of Thai fruits and crops in the long run, the country's exporters should, thus, uphold the high quality of locally-grown fruits, namely their freshness, and keep changing their packaging styles and designs to be always in the modernized global trend", stressed the senior official. (TNA)