THE COMMERCE Ministry has launched a 20-year strategy to drive trade and business growth, aiming to promote Thailand as a world centre for innovative agricultural products and other goods.
Somkiat Triratpan, inspector-general of the ministry and director of its Policies and Trade Strategies Bureau, said yesterday that after the strategy has been approved by the Cabinet, the ministry will adjust its trade-promotion plans, as well as restructure some of its agencies and amend laws and rules.
The 20-year strategy will be divided into phases.
Phase 1 between now and 2020 will emphasise trade reform. Phase 2, from 2021 to 2025, will focus on promoting Thailand as the major regional supply chain. The third phase from 2026 to 2030 will promote Thailand as the world's major supply chain. During the final phase, Thailand will be promoted as a world leader in the trade of agricultural products, including innovative products, as well as a trading centre for many key non-agricultural products.
Initially, the ministry will focus on developing the competency of farmers and enterprises. Farmers will be encouraged to reduce production costs, rely on their own communities and become their own marketers and traders.
Local enterprises will be encouraged to expand regionally and then globally.
Inventions and innovative products will be promoted for commercialisation and digital systems will be made more comprehensive, while value will be added to service businesses.
The second strategy will focus on developing trading-system competency.
The ministry will amend laws and regulations to facilitate business growth.
The laws will include the Foreign Business Act, those related to intellectual-property rights and regulations on the promotion of start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises.
The third strategy will encourage consumers to become smart and proactive, and the fourth will focus on promoting the trading system from unilateral to become connected with the global market.
Somkiat said that if the strategy is successful, Thailand should no longer rely on being a trader in basic agricultural products, but will move to innovative and value-added products and services.