Thailand to become regional seeds hub

BANGKOK, March 6 (TNA) - Thailand eyes to become a regional seeds hub, which will also strengthen and sustain the seeds industry and related industries in the country. Agencies concerned, including the Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and the Thai Seed Trade Association (THASTA), have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on joint cooperation to drive the Thai Kingdom toward the goal. Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chutima Bunyapraphasara told journalists of the update on March 5, after her visit to the Field Day event, themed "Thailand Seed Hub", being organized at the Field Crops Research Center in Sansai District of Chiang Mai Province in the Thai North during March 3-7. Chutima said high-quality seeds are the most important factor to create high yields and good quality farm produce. According to the deputy minister, Thailand was the top seeds exporter in the ASEAN Community (AC) in 2016 and the world's 15th major seeds exporter in the same year, with the total export volume slated at 31,109 tons, worth 5.05 billion baht. The deputy minister announced that her ministry has designated the year 2017 the year of Thailand's agricultural standard, aimed to develop the domestic agriculture on the sustainable basis, covering the quality development of local agricultural produce from farming to safety inspection processes. The deputy minister noted that the five-day event, where Thai vegetable seeds, crop seeds and ornamental plant seeds from both public and private agencies are on display, is aimed at showcasing seeds and modern technologies in domestic agricultural production and publicizing the Department of Agriculture's works on agricultural production technologies beneficial to local farmers, as well as domestic and overseas industries in order to improve their access to seed varieties and the department’s seed certification service for imports and exports. (TNA)