Thailand's poultry consumption down 50%
Poultry breeders and exporters are urging the Thai government to seal trade deals with the EU and UK in order to ease the access of poultry products in these markets. Currently, Thai officials are looking desperately to open new markets for poultry exports as domestic consumption has dropped by 50% in just a couple of months.
During the first couple of months of this year, Thai poultry exports have increased by 7.21%. However, the coronavirus outbreaks in Asia, the US, and the EU may result in a decline of 5% in exports. At the same time, the prices in the domestic market have decreased by 30%, threatening the profit of poultry farmers and processors.
Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit held discussions with private chicken meat providers and exporters such as CP, Betagro and Thai Broiler Processing Exporters Association to evaluate the export situation.
They urged the ministry to seal free trade agreements with the EU and Britain, fixing chicken meat import quota at around 280,000 to 320,000 tonnes a year and to seek lower British import tariffs from US$1,000 a tonne, reported The Star newspaper.
The ministry also was asked to seek new markets in Japan and to lobby China to approve Thai processed-chicken factories in order to export processed products and expand the duck meat market. The private sector requested the ministry to establish new markets in South Korea, Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan.
For the Thai poultry producers, Japan, Britain, China, Netherlands and South Korea are seen as key export markets for chicken meat. However, exporters believe that they could increase their presence in markets such as the US, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Sweden, Germany, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, France, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Iraq, Angola, South Africa, Philippines and Taiwan. Chicken meat production in Thailand reached 2.86 million tonnes last year, ranking the country as the world's eight largest producer. Around 40% of the production was exported.
The current figures clearly demonstrate that the supply – particularly for turkey meat &nda...
The National Service of Agricultural Health and Food Safety (Senasag) concluded the sanitary prot...
According to the new regulation, approved by 483 votes in favor, 102 against and 67 abstentions a...
