Thailand to expand exports to Middle East

BANGKOK, December 29 (TNA) - Thailand has eyed to ship more goods to the Middle East, where several leading hypermarkets have agreed to participate in Thaifex–World of Food Asia 2014 in Thailand. Nuntawan Sakuntanaga, Director General of the Ministry of Commerce's Department of International Trade Promotion, told journalists on Sunday that she recently visited the United Arab Emirates and Oman to explore more trade opportunities for Thai business operators through rising purchases of Thai goods by several leading hypermarkets there, which have hundreds of branches in many global regions. Nuntawan revealed that she also discussed with senior executives of The Market, a leading department store in the Middle East, which imports up to 95 per cent of consumer products and there is, thus, a good opportunity for Thai exporters to sell more fresh food to the Middle East, including fresh fruits and checken. Nuntawan acknowledged that the Middle East prioritizes food security, which is in line with the Thai government’s policy on "Thailand:Kitchen to the World" to boost the Kingdom's export revenues and foreign exchanges reserves. According to the senior Thai official, she also discussed with executives of the Lulu Hypermarket in Oman, a major retailer in the Middle East, which has already set up an office in Thailand and has bought Thai raw materials and other products, namely Thai fruits, seasoning powder and kitchen utensils, about three containers weekly. The senior official noted that Oman has also expressed its interest in buying Thai dried fruits, canned food and energy conservation products, as well as Thai clothes, fashioned sandals, rubber toys and kids' learning materials and eco-friendly products.(TNA)