Authority helps boost competitiveness of Thai business operators

BANGKOK, March 21 (TNA) - The government, through the Ministry of Commerce, is joining forces with partners to help boost competitiveness of Thai business operators and to cushion Thai exports. Thai Commerce Minister Apiradi Tanntraporn told journalists on Monday that her ministry's Department of International Trade Promotion has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Central Islamic Council of Thailand, the Halal Standard Institute of Thailand and the Halal Science Center of Bangkok-based Chulalongkorn University on cooperation in international trade promotion for goods and halal business services. Apiradi said the department has also inked an MOU with the Ministry of Industry's Department of Industrial Promotion and state-run Krung Thai Bank Public Company Limited (KTB) on cooperation under the “SMEs Genius Exporters” and an MOU with Kasikornbank Public Company Limited (KBank) on cooperation to support Thai business operators for international trade. Besides, the department has concluded an MOU with Siam Commercial Bank Public Company Limited (SCB) on cooperation to help develop Thai business operators toward international trade and another MOU with Siam Piwat Group Co., Ltd. on cooperation in information support, share of knowledge and views, as well as support for goods displays and designs and PR campaigns on Thai designers' projects. According to the minister, the MOUs are the department's policy on cooperation with the public and private sectors to help drive forward the Thai economy and national development, while also promoting Thailand's international trade to meet an official target effectively, covering Thai exports growth. Meanwhile, the Commerce Ministry has maintained its target on Thailand's export growth rate at 5 per cent this year, reasoning that it is adjusting export strategies to reach major cities of targeted buying countries, including China, India, CLMV (Cambodia, Loas, Myanmar and Vietnam), South America and Africa, coupled with cooperation under the MOUs. (TNA)