Thailand’s Exports Of Electrical Appliances To Meet 5% Growth Target

BANGKOK, May 4 (TNA) - Thailand’s exports of electrical appliances are projected to meet a 5 per cent growth target in 2014, said Nuntawan Sakuntanaga, Director-General of the International Trade Promotion Department. Mrs. Nuntawan said she is optimistic that exports of electrical appliances this year would enjoy a sustainable growth of 5 per cent from 2013 due to improving global economy, especially the US and Japanese markets which are key importers of Thai goods, and member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The Thai government has set the target growth for exports of electrical appliances at 5 per cent in 2014, she said. Exports during the first quarter this year increased 4.9 per cent and the country earned about 5.86 billion US dollars. Exports of TV and digital-TV are expected to rise considerably in June and July due to the World Cup, said Mrs. Nuntawan, adding that principle importers are Japan, China and the U.S. whose combined imports total 35 per cent. Although Thailand-made large air-conditioners are recognised by foreign buyers due to high quality, both the public and private sector have to cooperate with each other in exploring new markets, she said. Obstacles hindering widening oversea markets remain, said Mrs. Nuntawan, adding that they include lowering and lifting the generalised system of preferences by the US and the European Union. Other problems are shortage of skilled workers in Thailand, hiring migrant workers , disadvantages in logistics to Thailand’s competitors and high dependency on foreign investment in the electrical appliances industry in the kingdom. The Thai government ought to revise foreign investment policy in order to enable the country to become competitive, she said. (TNA)