Operators will be taught about raw-material management, logistics systems and packaging development. Upgrading product quality to international standards is another objective.

Permanent secretary Chakramon Phasukvanich yesterday said his ministry would focus on imparting know-how to agro-industry operators over the next three years.

After the project ends, operators are expected to have expanded their business with investment of more than Bt150 million and product value up more than 10 per cent. - The Nation.

Clean tapioca chips

The Foreign Trade Department has initiated a "clean tapioca chip" project to improve the quality of tapioca products to serve both animal feed mills and ethanol manufacturers.

The high-quality tapioca products will also facilitate exports to the European Union.

Deputy commerce minister Oranuj Osathananda yesterday said the country's production of clean tapioca chips totalled 600,000-700,000 tonnes a year, but demand was about a million tonnes. Some 78 manufacturers have been certified by the department as producers of clean tapioca chips.

Of the country's 25.38 million tonnes of cassava produced last year, exports of tapioca pellets accounted for 393,000 tonnes worth Bt1.38 billion, and exports of tapioca chips accounted for 3.82 million tonnes worth Bt15.77 billion. - The Nation.

Links and leadership

The Hay Group Thailand yesterday introduced a programme that uses practical experience on the golf links as the basis for executive development. The company says that even non-golfers can participate in the programme - called "Mastering the Game: Leadership Effectiveness at Work, in Life and in Golf" - because a variety of golf skill levels mirror team and leadership situations in corporations where self-awareness and self-management separate leading executives from their peers. The programme's trainers say golfer Tiger Woods has stated that managing emotion is a key factor in his ability to win.

The Hay Group Thailand says "Mastering the Game" is the world's only business-leadership programme that combines emotional intelligence and golf. The programme, in partnership with US-based LearningLinks, will be previewed in a Bangkok city hotel on April 24 and at the Pinehurst Golf and Country Club in the United States on April 25.

The preview at the Sukhothai Hotel will be free of charge and limited to 40 registrants, while the event at Pinehurst is also free but limited to 15 participants. Participants can register online at www.haygroup.com/th/events. - The Nation.

Chiang Mai-Kaohsiung

Recognising the potential for increased travel between Kaohsiung and other nearby cities in Taiwan and Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, 10 Taiwanese travel operators have been working in cooperation with the China Airlines representative office in Kaohsiung on the introduction of Kaohsiung-Chiang Mai flights.

China Airlines has been operating three charter flights a week on the Kaohsiung-Chiang Mai route since March 25 and plans to launch scheduled flights on the route next Wednesday. The three charter flights, each with a capacity of 150 passengers, operate on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. - The Nation.