Thai exports grow by 5.7% during Jan-Apr 2013

BANGKOK, May 23 (TNA) - Thai exports grew by 5.74 per cent year-on-year during the first four months of this year, thanks to increasing shipments of Thai industrial goods to overseas markets and the slightly-weakening Thai baht. Permanent Secretary for Commerce Vatchari Vimooktayon told journalists on Thursday that the value of Thai exports amounted to about 18.7 billion US dollars last month alone, a 10.52 per cent year on year increase, resulting mainly from rising Thai exports of industrial products. Vatchari pointed out that Thai exports of electronic products surged by 45.2 per cent year-on-year in April 2013, automobiles and parts by 19.1 per cent, furniture and accessories by 17.1 per cent, frozen, canned and processed seafood except shrimps by 11.6 per cent, frozen and processed chicken by 10.2 per cent, textile and garments by 7.9 per cent and electrical appliances by 4.3 per cent, despite a drop of most exports of Thai farm produce due to the baht appreciation. According to the senior official, the value of Thai exports, thus, totaled 75.67 billion US dollars during the January-April 2013 period, a 5.74 per cent year-on-year expansion. Meanwhile, Thanavat Polvichai, Director of the Center for Economic and Business Forecasting of Bangkok-based University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said that his center has maintained Thailand's gross domestic product or GDP growth in 2013 at 5 per cent on average, based on conditions that the world economy grows by 3-3.5 per cent in the second half of this year and the value of the Thai currency remains at 29-29.50 baht a US dollar. (TNA)