Thai government develops new industrial groups for SEZs

BANGKOK, February 11 (TNA) - The government plans to invite more business operators from neighbouring countries to invest in Thailand's special economic zones (SEZs) along the border and to develop new Thai industrial groups for the areas. Delivering a speech at a seminar entitled "10 Special Economic Zones: Golden Opportunity for ASEAN, Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, who oversees economic affairs, told participants on Thursday that the Thai government is moving forward in boosting the country's potential and competitiveness by building the new industrial groups, such as requesting Kasetsart University to help supervise agricultural knowledge, developing industries along the Thai border with neighbouring countries through the development of 10 Thai SEZs and creating incentives for international business operators to expand their investment into the zones. Besides, an international conference will be held in mid-2016, in which neighbouring countries, including Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, will be invited to participate to jointly explore new market opportunities. Somkid said to cope with the current global economic slowdown, the Thai government wants local agriculturists to grow various crops, instead of those which would fetch low prices. Somkid noted that the Thai government also wants the state-run Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) to provide soft loans to local small and medium-sized agriculturists. According to the deputy premier, the proposed measure, which is in line with the government's plan on injecting a state budget of 35 billion baht for its "village funds" programme, will be submitted to the Thai Cabinet for further consideration and decision over the next couple of weeks. Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha is scheduled to launch the "Village Funds" programme on February 19, 2016. In an attempt to boost revenues of local producers of community-based goods under the "One Tambon, One Product (OTOP)" Programme, the deputy premier revealed that the Thai government would encourage petrol stations run by PTT Public Company Limited (PTT), Thailand's largest petroleum firms, to allow the sale of local OTOP products. (TNA)