Thai farm sector GDP to grow from EU’s resumption of Thai chicken imports

BANGKOK, April 6 (TNA) - The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative has assessed that the Thai farm sector's gross domestic product (GDP) will clearly expand from the 3rd-4th quarters of this year, thanks to a recent decision by the European Union (EU) to lift its long-time ban on Thai chicken exports. Secretary-General of the ministry's Office of Agricultural Economics Apichaat Jongsakul said that the EU’s decision, effective from July 2012, should also boost chicken prices on the domestic market, expressing his hope that Japan, one of Thailand's major export markets, will follow the EU's move soon. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce's Department of Foreign Trade acknowledged that the EU's decision showed that the 27-member bloc was satisfied with Thailand's upgraded control of bird flu and laboratories standards based on international criteria, and that Thailand's chicken exports will likely grow by up to some 10 billion baht annually after the EU resolution takes effect. (TNA)