Bahrain to be Thailand’s trade gateway in Middle East

BANGKOK, February 28 (TNA) - Bahrain's Industry and Commerce Minister Hassan Fakhro is visiting Thailand to follow up bilateral cooperation on food security, trade and farm products, especially halal food, as Thailand also eyes Bahrain to be the Kingdom’s trade gateway in the Middle East. The visiting Bahrain Industry and Commerce Minister held talks with Thai Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom in Bangkok on Wednesday, in which representatives of Thai public and private agencies concerned also participated, including those from the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), the Board of Trade of Thailand, the Thai Rice Exporters Association, Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group, Saha Farms Group and Betagro Group. The Bahrain side plans to increase its import of quality rice from Thailand, in addition to its annual imports of about 10,000 tonnes of Thai rice currently, and has recommends that Thailand grow the basmati rice, which is popular among consumers in Bahrain, and wants Thailand to be a production and an export base of chicken to serve the Bahrain market. Thailand, on the other hand, wants to establish a cargo distribution center in Bahrain to also reach other markets in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, where people have high purchasing power and Thai products are popular, as a friendship bridge between Bahrain and Qatar is scheduled to be completed later this year. Both sides also discussed cooperation on the supply of Thai farm products to Bahrain, trade and investment facilitations and halal food research and development. The value of mutual trade between Thailand and Bahrain stood at 429 million US dollars in 2012, a 44 per cent surge from 2011, with Thai exports to Bahrain amounting to 163 million US dollars, a 16 per cent year-on-year increase, and Thai imports from Bahrain totally 266 million US dollars, a 70 per cent year-on-year leap. Major Thai exports to Bahrain include automobiles and parts, jewelry and chilled and frozen chicken; while Thailand's major imports from the Gulf state include refined oil and metal products. (TNA)