H.E. Mr. Jurin Laksanawisit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce presided over the THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA 2022 “The Hybrid Edition” opening ceremony together with Mr. Keerati Rushchano, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Mr.Phusit Ratanakul Sereroengrit, Director General of the Department of International Trade Promotion, Mr. Sanan Angubolkul, Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Mathias Cooper, Managing Director of Cologne Messe Company Limited, senior executives of the Ministry of Commerce, and representatives from government and private agencies at IMPACT Challenger Hall 2, Muang Thong Thani.

Mr. Jurin revealed that the food and beverage industry is an important industry for the Thai economy. Thailand is reportedly the 13th largest food exporter in the world, with a market share of more than 2.3%, and the 4th largest exporter in Asia. Although international trade is restricted due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the export of Thailand food products in the first quarter of 2022 could reach the amount of 286 billion baht, an increase of 28.8% compared to the first quarter of 2021. Such numbers can be achieved not because of “luck”, but as a result of strong collaboration between the public and private sectors in the form of the Joint Public and Private Sector Consultative Committee on Commerce, which is an important mechanism in solving trade problems, especially international trade.

Another outcome from the aforementioned mechanism is to build confidence in food and agricultural products consumption from Thailand that it is safe and free from coronavirus. To create safety standards and enable buyers to trace the origin of the products, Mr. Jurin initiated collaboration between 4 Ministries in issuing COVID-19 Prevention Best Practice certificates to 262 factories, aiming to raise confidence and encourage Thailand to become the hub of the world’s agricultural product and food producers.

Another important policy is to make Thai food become the food of the world, taking into account the response to future trends with the BCG Model. In this regard, he instructed the Department of International Trade Promotion to formulate a Soft Power Strategic Plan. In addition to encouraging people to know Thai food, this will help create a fondness for the charming and uniqueness of Thailand among people around the world. This Soft Power Plan will lead to greater demand for Thai products and services, as well as generating more exports from Thailand to the world.

In addition, the Ministry of Commerce is constantly holding activities to promote international trade in order to meet the requirements of global buyers. At present, many countries have begun to open the country to foreign tourists. As for Thailand, the event is organized to achieve the goal of “Thai Food” to “The World’s Food”. The event “THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA 2022 – The Hybrid Edition” with the theme “Re-imagine the Future of Food and Beverage Industry,” is organized to meet the requirements of many buyers who wish to buy products from local sellers in Thailand.

“The on-site trade show will be held from May 24 – 28, 2022. Meanwhile, the buyers who are unable to travel to Thailand can visit “THAIFEX Virtual Trade Show” via the online platform at www.thaifex-vts.com. The event will be held online in parallel with the on-site event. Exclusively, buyers can use this channel to find and talk to sellers for another year for more trade opportunities. This hybrid trade show will be able to generate a trade value of more than 10,000 million baht for the Thai economy,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce said.

The data from the Department of International Trade Promotion indicates that the THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA 2022 “The Hybrid Edition” is a combination between the event in the exhibition center (offline) and the virtual food exhibition (online). In this year, there are a total of 1,603 offline participants, comprising 722 Thai entrepreneurs and 881 foreign entrepreneurs from 36 countries, such as East Asia, ASEAN, Europe, the United States, Australia, Latin America, the Middle East, and others. It is expected to create a total value of 10,000 million baht, consisting of 9,550 million baht from the offline event and 450 million baht from the online event. More than 75,000 participants are expected to visit the event during May 24-28, 2022.

The products exhibited in the event are divided into 11 zones, comprising all types of food products, seafood, frozen food, rice, vegetables and fruits, snacks, beverages, tea and coffee, tools/appliances/equipment, as well as various services related to the food and beverage industry. There is also a special zone for exhibiting Halal products, organic food, and food of the future. As for the online event, it is a virtual food trade show called THAIFEX – Virtual Trade Show (THAIFEX – VTS) on the platform www.thaifex-vts.com. Users can enter the virtual event 24 hours a day. This is another channel for trade negotiations between Thai exporters and buyers from across the globe.