Thai food exports, including those of fresh fruit and vegetables, to Japan are expected to grow faster this year than in 2010, and could help offset a projected drop in sales to the EU.
According to a report in the Bangkok Post, Thailand’s Export Promotion Department deputy director general Malee Choklumlerd said exports to Japan were forecast to rise 15 per cent this year up from 12 per cent in the previous year.
The increase could be partly attributed to greater demand for Thai produce as a result of the effects of the disasters in March of this year, said Ms Malee. “Concerns over nuclear radiation contamination as well as reconstruction efforts…will spur a demand for food imports to Japan,” she said.
Thailand’s food exports to Japan in the first four months of this year have increased by 23.8 per cent year on year to US$1.03bn, stated the report.
Last year Japan imported US$2.8bn worth of food products from Thailand, which equates to 15 per cent of the country’s exports.
Ms Malee pointed out the increase in exports to Japan could help offset the losses anticipated in vegetable sales to the EU this year.
“The substantial rise of food exports to Japan could offset shipments to the EU which are expected to decline this year due to a self-imposed ban on `exports of` 16 vegetable `lines` because of contamination concerns,” she added.
