FTAs to get input from Thai growers
The government of Thailand vows to seek and include comments from local farmers during any new trade talk efforts.
According to Auramon Supthaweethum, director-general of the Trade Negotiations Department of the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand, officials will pay on-site visits to hear opinions and suggestions from various groups of farmers to supplement the new free-trade agreement (FTA) talks.
“Currently the department is preparing information for the Thai-EU FTA talks and studying the feasibility of participating in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP),” Ms. Auramon said. “The on-site visits will thus allow the department to know the genuine information from farmers before the negotiators commence any talks.”
The department is also joining the National Farmers Council of Thailand to promote the best use of existing FTAs that have cut import tariffs to zero.
Thailand has 13 FTAs in place, including the ASEAN-Hong Kong FTA and investment agreement signed last November and scheduled to take effect in January 2019. Thailand is continuing FTA talks with dialogue partners including Pakistan, Turkey and Sri Lanka. The aim is to settle talks with Turkey and Pakistan this year.
In case Thailand considers the interests of national farmers in further FTA talks, Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Russia in particular may meet substantial obstacles during potential EAEU-ASEAN FTA talks. Russia has been increasing its agricultural export in recent years, and ASEAN is supposed to become a profitable market for Russian growers. The new policy of the Trade Negotiations Department may delay the talks and aggravate the final FTA terms for Russian exporters.
Further information at the Bangkok Post web-site