Thailand likely to export more cooked pork in 2013

BANGKOK, January 4 (TNA) - Thailand is expected to export more cooked or processed pork this year, thanks to orders from several importing countries in Asia. Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Yukol Lim-laemthong told journalists on Friday that traditional importing countries, including Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Vietnam, have continued placing orders for Thai cooked or processed pork, with their purchase value last year totalling nearly 4 billion baht. Yukol acknowledged that new importing countries for Thai cooked or processed pork, namely India and Singapore, are believed to help the Kingdom earn more revenue from the product this year. As prices at pig farms in Thailand now stand around about 57.90 baht per kilogramme, slightly lower than the production costs of 58-59 baht per kilogramme, Yukol said that his ministry’s Livestock Development Department is, therefore, planning to set up a committee to help boost the prices. According to the minister, another committee assigned to assist local pig raisers has recently approved a budget of 61.8 million baht to be spent on stabilizing pork prices on the domestic market. (TNA)