The National Food Institute (NFI) plans to become strict about the standards of Thailand's food and agricultural industries, because the country's top 10 food exports have slipped to a lower share of the global market.

It says processors and manufacturers must focus more on production quality and food safety, in order to meet international quality standards.

The top 10 food exports are frozen processed seafood, rice, frozen shrimp, canned fruit, sugar, processed chicken, rice products, frozen cuttlefish, frozen fish and frozen fresh fruit.

Thailand's share of the global market for these products has gradually fallen, from 2.73 per cent in 2001 to 2.25 per cent last year.

The NFI said yesterday Thailand had 12,000 food manufacturers, but only 700 are certified to meeting food quality and safety standards.

As a result, it will adopt a stricter attitude, requiring that food and agriculture manufacturing plants develop their production standards to meet the demands of world markets.

To achieve the plan, the institute presented a strategic road map for Thailand's food industry to Deputy Industry Minister Piyabutr Cholvijarn yesterday. The strategy concentrates on encouraging food manufacturers to focus on the production of value-added goods, promoting export standards required by international markets, promoting consumer awareness of Thai products and achieving sustainable development.

The strategy also requires Thai manufacturers to be certified in accordance with one of two manufacturing standards: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point or Good Manufacturing Practice.

Piyabutr said it would take almost 10 years for all of Thailand's producers to be certified in accordance with the two standards. However, they will then be better able to compete in global markets. In addition, Thai manufacturers must introduce a traceability system to upgrade their product quality.

He said he would ask financial institutions to support producers needing to upgrade themselves to meet the standards.

Piyabutr added that the new strategy would raise food standards not only for export, but also for the domestic market and assist in the achievement of sustainable development.

Thai Chamber of Commerce deputy secretary-general Pornsilp Patcharintanakul said he agreed in general with the application of the two standards. He said that if possible, the government should force buyers to purchase food products only from certified producers, so that other local producers would have to adopt the standards. However, he realises the standards have been implemented for only two years and are thus new to most Thai producers.

Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul

The Nation