Government urged to find new markets, after Indonesia bans Thai farm produce

BANKGOK, October 19 (TNA) - A senior Thai official says the government should find new markets for Thai farm products, particularly Thai fruits, after neighbouring Indonesia has banned imports of Thai farm produce to protect local farmers and business operators. When echoing the proposed idea Friday morning, Thai Permanent Secretary for Finance Areepong Bhoocha-oom recommended that minor cities in Europe, instead of major ones, appear to be among those becoming new promising markets for Thai farm produce exports. Areepong acknowledged that Jakarta's recent decision has caused Thai buisness operators, particularly small-scaled ones, to find it difficult to market their farm products in Indonesia and has prompted the Thai government to change relevant regulations. Wilasinee Nonsrichai, Director of the Thai Office of Commercial Affairs in Jakarta, meanwhile, explained that the free trade agreement (FTA) between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has heavily affected Indonesia due to influxes of cheaper farm products from China into Indonesia. In response, Wilasinee said, Indonesia has imposed non-tariff trade barriers, consisting of the reduction of ports handling imported farm products, product quality control and limited import quotas, the measures of which have then seriously affected exports of Thai farm products, including durian and longan which are very popular among Indonesians. According to the senior Thai official, the Indonesian measures are also considered obstructing the formation of the Single Economic Community of ASEAN by 2015. (TNA)