Agriculture was affected by droughts followed by floods in 2010. As a result
production of corn, fruit, palm oil, sugarcane, rice and cassava has decreased.
The agricultural sector has played an important role in developing the Thai economy
and the Thai Government has opened up the sector to international competition. As a
major agricultural exporting country, Thailand among other Asian countries is
relatively ready to open its markets in order to obtain benefits from the liberalization
of the agricultural sector. Thailand has been the most active Asian country in
promoting its international trade since the Asian financial crisis erupted in mid-1997.
Intensive talks have been held with many developed and developing countries, such
as Australia, China, India, Japan and the United States. When signing bilateral free
trade agreements (FTAs), the Thai Government should not undermine the bargaining
power of countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) as a single entity. In order to improve the terms for free trade, the following
considerations should be taken into account: