Farm machinery maker Siam Kubota Corporation (SKC) is upbeat about sales prospects this year, boosted by exports.
The company is still maintaining its sales target of 2% growth this year to 47 billion baht, president Hiroshi Kawakami said.
"Kubota's exports are still performing well in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia as well as Laos and Cambodia," he said.
International sales will represent 35% of the total this year, up from 30% last year, as domestic sales drop to 30 billion baht or 65%.
In the local market, Kubota has encountered negative factors such as low farm prices, drought conditions and a murky economic outlook.
As a result, sales of tractors and combine harvesters are set to fall by 5-7% this year to 45 billion baht.
Next year, SKC expects sales of up to 50 billion baht, driven by exports.
"There's plenty of room to grow in foreign countries, especially in Asean after Kubota has been successful for many decades in Thailand, which represents 20% of the farmland in the region," Mr Kawakami said.
"Laos and Cambodia have been interested in applying more farm equipment for a few years, and I'm confident of potential demand in the future."
SKC has been present in Laos and Cambodia through local subsidiaries since last year. It has eight distributors in Laos and 16 in Cambodia, with plans for a Myanmar presence next year.
Senior executive vice-president Opart Dhanvarjor said demand for farm equipment in Thailand was expected to remain flat next year due to the country's fragile economy and drought.
"Prices of rice and rubber are expected to remain low, but SKC sees brighter prospects for corn and cassava," he said.
"The company is therefore improving and developing the equipment for those products through the new R&D unit."
SKC has earmarked 600 million baht to set up an R&D unit in Thailand aimed at expanding production of farm machinery for sale in Asean.
The company acquired 14 rai in Pathum Thani's Nava Nakorn Industrial Park for the R&D facility, whose construction is scheduled to be completed next April.
Founded in 2010, SKC is a 60-40 joint venture of Japan's Kubota Corporation and Siam Cement Group.
SKC has 84 distributors and 210 service centres nationwide.