Thailand eyes to export more chicken products to Japan

BANGKOK, October 30 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Commerce, is launching campaigns to create more awareness on Thailand's quality chicken products among consumers in Japan, where demand for the chicken products has considerably increased since 2010. Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn told journalists of the policy on October 28, saying that she has assigned her ministry's Department of International Trade Promotion to expedite the campaigns, namely organizing marketing activities, to create the awareness among Japanese consumers. Apiradi pointed out that Japanese consumers are willing to spend more money on quality and safe products, while there has been undersupply of fresh frozen chicken and processed chicken in Japan since 2010 and fresh frozen chicken and processed chicken products from Thailand have a comparative advantage in terms of reduced import tariffs imposed by Tokyo under the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEPA). Apiradi explained that Thailand's quality and safe fresh frozen chicken and processed chicken products with a regular supply system in the long term have been widely recognized among importers and traders in Japan and the campaigns are, thus, needed to create more awareness of the good attributes of the Thai products among Japanese consumers. The minister revealed that she has been reported by her ministry's international trade promotion office in Tokyo that domestic consumption of Chicken products in Japan now reach 2.1-2.5 million tons, about 950,000-1,000,000 tons, or about 30-35 per cent, need to be imported from foreign markets due to rising demand cushioned by impacts from previous outbreaks of bird flu at local major chicken production sources, earthquakes and a radioactive leak incident from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan's northeastern region. According to the minister, Japan has mostly imported fresh frozen chicken from Brazil but has mostly imported processed chicken products from Thailand and the Japanese government has a policy on importing products from many markets to reduce Tokyo's dependence on only a single market for a specific product, which is a good opportunity for Thailand to increase the market share for fresh and frozen chicken product in Japan. Thailand's exports of fresh frozen chicken and processed chicken products, meanwhile, stood at about 1.82 billion US dollars totally during the first eight months of this year, over 1.03 billion US dollars of which, were exported to Japan, while other markets for the Thai products included the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, South Korea and Lao PDR. (TNA)