Host Thailand has downplayed a walkout by representatives of five countries taking part in the Apec trade ministers meeting in Bangkok on Saturday.
Representatives of Japan, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand walked out of the meeting in protest over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Commerce Minister and Deputy PM Jurin Laksanawisit said he was still confident the meeting would end well, with all participants agreeing to boost cooperation in trade and investment.
All 21 member-countries of the Asia Pacific Economic Agreement trade bloc are taking part in the meeting – including Russia.
Jurin insisted that the five-member boycott had no effect on today’s meeting. All remaining parties continued to discuss the agenda, he added.
Speaking during a short press conference after the morning session, Jurin said all members had pledged their efforts to finalise the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) by 2040.
He added that all parties had agreed to collaborate on creating sustainability and developing digital technology, digital trade and e-commerce across the trade bloc.
Meanwhile, the meeting also reached consensus on promoting participation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in global supply chains to spur inclusivity and sustainable growth of the Apec region.
Jurin voiced confidence the meeting would proceed smoothly with participants issuing a joint declaration following this afternoon’s session.
Thailand is hosting the Apec Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting (MRT) from May 19-22 at Bangkok’s Centara Grand Hotel.
More than 700 trade officials and delegates from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member countries gathered in Bangkok on Saturday to discuss mutual economic cooperation.
The trade representatives are in Thailand to attend the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting.
In his opening speech, Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said the meeting is being held at a critical time when the global economy is facing many challenges and uncertainties.
He said all member countries need to closely cooperate to find a proper solution to help rebuild the global economy in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
This is the first time in two years that APEC trade ministers’ representatives and the APEC Business Advisory Council have come together in person. This year’s meeting, themed “Open, Connect, Balance”, is being held at Centara Grand Hotel in downtown Bangkok.
Jurin said the objective of this meeting was to provide trade ministers with an opportunity to discuss and formulate guidelines to drive trade and investment among APEC countries.
“The key action agenda is to expand free-trade agreements with each party, especially the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific [FTAAP]. Promoting multilateral trade as well as driving economic growth and development during the Covid-19 situation is also included in the discussion,” said Jurin, who also doubles as deputy PM.
He expects the outcome of this year’s trade ministers’ meeting to play a key role in determining the policy direction for revitalising and stimulating regional economic growth. It will also help member countries to be better prepared for similar crises in the future.
Overall, APEC economies are expected to continue growing at a moderate pace. APEC’s GDP grew 5.9 per cent last year and is expected to grow 4.2 per cent this year and 3.8 per cent next year.
The 21 APEC member countries are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, China, Peru, South Korea, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.
“Singha Drinking Water” announces the “Select the right fresh, Select Singha Drinking Water” campaign to strengthen its leadership position in the market regarding consumer trust in the product and manufacturing quality on the world’s stage and the overall development attending to consumer’s needs. The campaign will feature “Nadech Kugimiya,” the brand’s presenter, in a 360 campaign communications.
Mr. Titiporn Thammapimookkul, Chief Marketing Officer – Brand of the Boonrawd Trading Co., Ltd., reveals that the company has planned Singha Drinking Water’s marketing strategies and initiatives while still focusing on product quality which is the staple of the product. The closed system manufacturing process and the Smart Micro Filter, Singha’s proprietary technology, responding to the ever-changing consumer needs and keeping sustainability in mind have all contributed to positive feedback from consumers.
This year, Singha Drinking Water is back with “Nadech Kugimiya,” Thailand’s leading actor, as the brand’s presenter. He will help raise brand awareness and communicate the stories of product quality, the Smart Micro Filter technology, and environmentally-conscious activities, which will be held all year in every region.
Singha Drinking Water has firmly held its market-leading position by bringing world-class characters like Doraemon and collaborating with The Walt Disney (Thailand) Co., Ltd., in bringing Mickey Mouse and Frozen characters onto the labels. The brand has also developed ‘Singha Rewards,’ a customer relationship management program to provide perks and benefits for their customers.
According to a research by Infosearch, a US leading marketing research institute, about top-of-mind drinking water bottle brands during the past ten years, Singha Drinking Water stood firm as the no.1 brand among Thais. Additionally, Singha Drinking Water’s brand loyalty has been at no.1 during the past decade. The brand has become the most preferred brand with accolades from multiple awards like the No.1 Brand in Thailand and Thailand’s Most Admired Brand. Singha Drinking Water remains the leader of the drinking water market with the most market share today.
CIMB Thai Bank recently launched its latest product “Maxi Flexi ESG” structured notes that protect the principle at 100% and provide a return on investment (ROI) at 0.25% to 0.75% annually*. The Maxi Flexi ESG aims to help Thai investors increase their wealth regardless of market conditions under good governance practices.
Key features:
Based on Citi FlexiBeta ESG USD VT5 index
Increase the chance of ROI from the movement of reference index at 3-6% p.a.
3-year duration
Can invest in Thai Baht and US dollar*
Focus on equities and government bonds related to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)
Automatically adjust investment ratio
Guaranteed ROI at 0.25% to 0.75% annually* regardless of market conditions
Principle is protected at 100% by CIMB Thai Bank
For high net worth investors only
Paul Wong Chee Kin, president & chief executive officer of CIMB Thai Bank PCL and Tan Keat Jin, head of consumer banking, said that CIMB Thai is promoting investment in the fields related to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) to ensure investors that their money will be used for the benefits of environment and society under good governance practices. The bank also aims to design products that can protect the full amount of investors’ principle amid the market’s fluctuation to give the investors a total ‘peace of mind’ when investing with the bank.
CIMB Thai’s latest product Maxi Flexi ESG structured notes target high net worth and ultra-high net worth investors, as they are on top of the social pyramid and have high potential to share their wealth to strengthen the society and guide others toward the sustainable development of the country.
Phudinan Setthanan, the bank’s assistant managing director and head of financial product development, said “It is undeniable that in the past year there has been a high fluctuation in the investment market. This has made products that protect investors’ principle become more popular as they can guarantee a return on investment regardless of market conditions. Maxi Flexi ESG is a new form of investment that automatically adjusts the ratio based on investment principle and utilizes rule-based framework management strategy to access global assets both bonds and shares, relieving investors from having to monitor the index movement all the time.”
“Maxi Flexi ESG structured notes offer additional yield from the increased price of Citi FlexiBeta ESG USD VT5 index, which is available exclusively at CIMB Thai. Furthermore, the weakening of Baht will also create an opportunity to invest in foreign assets in US$ currency and earn extra profits from future currency exchange rate,” he added.
Examples of equity instruments in investment portfolio: ASML Holding (Arabesque’s ESG score 69/100), Visa (63/100), and Walt Disney (55/100).
CIMB Thai is the 8 years running winner of Best Bank for Investment Solutions from The Asset Triple A, as well as other 34 awards.
* Depending on investment format. For more information and investment criteria, contact any branch of CIMB Thai banks or tel. 02-638-8277.
Warning: Structured notes are a high-risk and complicated investment instrument. Please study the conditions, return on investment and risk as well as seek additional counsel before investing.
The Huawei APAC Digital Innovation Congress, jointly held by Huawei and the ASEAN Foundation, began on May 19, Topics included ongoing advancements in ICT, speeding up digital transformation across industries, as well as green and low-carbon development. During the congress, Huawei is committed to increasing support for a intelligent and Digital APAC.
The Huawei APAC Digital Innovation Congress gathering officials, experts, researchers, parteners from over the Asia Pacific region. Ms. Ajarin Pattanapanchai, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Digital Economy and Society of Thailand was also invited to this congress. She remarked that, Thailand fully supports the implementation of the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025, which is a strategic approach that places top priority on post-COVID-19 economic resilience, maximizes the potential of ICT and digital technologies for equal access to public and private services, and mobilizes ASEAN’s digital economy.
During her speech, she highlighted digital technology and its potential in driving an economy and improving people’s quality of life. “Thailand also emphasizes collaboration and involvement at the regional levels among relevant stakeholders in a more integrated 6 manner. With regard to the ASEAN Digital Sector, Thailand supports an implementation of the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025 which is a strategic approach putting top priority on post COVID – 19 economic resilience, maximizing the potential of ICT and digital technologies for equal access to public and private services, and mobilizing ASEAN’s digital economy.”
As we can see that in the Asia-Pacific region, not only Thailand is concerned about the importance of digital economy development, but the whole Asia-Pacific region is concerned about the importance of digital economy in post pandemic. Ken Hu, Rotating chairman of Huawei, mentioned in today Huawei APAC Digital Innovation Congress, “The Asia-Pacific region is one of the most culturally and economically vibrant regions in the world. It has long played an important role in global economic growth, and now plays an equally important role in digital innovation,” he continued, citing the fact that many APAC countries have elevated digital transformation to a strategic policy level and are actively going green.
A digital Asia-Pacific is coming. In this process, it’s inspiring that Asia-Pacific countries have released clear policies for digitalization and low carbonization. Huawei regards Asia-Pacific as a strategic market. Over the past 30 years, with the support and trust of the customers and partners, Huawei is proud to be part of the region’s digital transformation.
According to Huawei 2021 annual report, Asia Pacific accounted for 16.7% of Huawei’s total revenue. Huawei achieved progress in delivering an intelligent experience across all consumer scenarios. All of these factors resulted in a revenue of CNY53,675 million from this region in 2021.
Simon Lin, Vice President of Huawei Asia Pacific, delivered speech titled “Innovating nonstop, together for a better green digital life”, he points out Asia Pacific is one of the most important markets out of China. At Huawei Global Analyst Summit 2022, Ken Hu, Rotating Chairman of Huawei also pointed out APAC is a big market with a huge population. “ Over the years, Huawei has taken root in the Asia Pacific region. We have established strong bonds and commercial ties with governments and carriers in most Asia Pacific countries. Moving forward, we will continue to honor our commitments in the Asia Pacific region and provide support as it pursues digital transformation”.
Simon explained how will Huawei use innovation to build a better green digital life from three aspects.
First, build leading digital infrastructure as the foundation for digital economy. Huawei hopes to help Asia-Pacific build a leading and green infrastructure, including 5G, broadband, and data centers. So far, Huawei has provided connectivity for more than 90 million households and 1 billion mobile users in Asia-Pacific. According to the Gartner report, Huawei’s IaaS market share ranks No.2 in China, No.4 in the emerging Asia Pacific market.
Second, Huawei committed to building an open and healthy industry ecosystem with customers and partners. In Asia Pacific, Huawei has established partnerships with 7,900 enterprise partners, 2,000 cloud partners, and 200 universities. Huawei launched last year that it plans to invest 100 million USD in Spark project over the next three years.
Finally, Huawei re-emphasized commitment to building an inclusive digital Asia-Pacific. Through the Huawei ASEAN Academy and Seeds for the Future, Huawei has worked with partners to train 170,000 local talents. In the next five years, we will continue to train 500,000 digital talent.
Simon finalized his speech by emphasized Huawei vision- In Asia Pacific, for Asia Pacific. “Coming together is a beginning, working together is a success. In the past 30 years, Huawei is rooted in the region’s fast digitalization journey. As always, Huawei is confident and determined to work with customer and partners, becoming a key contributor to Asia-Pacific digital economy. Innovating non-stop, together for better green digital life!”
Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CP Foods) will be among leading companies around the world that join the upcoming ThaiFex-Anuga World of Food Asia 2022, bring innovations with the concept of “Food for the next Decade” to promote the sustainable food system.
The plant-based “Meat Zero” named the THAIFEX-ANUGA Taste Innovation Show winner and will be highlighted at the exhibition.
This year, CP Foods’s pavilion will showcase “’FOOD FOR THE NEXT DECADE” focusing the company’s roles and mission to deliver hygienic, sustainable and healthy foods to ten billion people by 2050. The booth consists of 5 exhibition zones. The first zone is for “Meat Zero”, innovative plant-based product and the winner of THAIFEX-ANUGA Taste Innovation Show 2022. The second zone will exhibit fresh meat products, highlighting Benja Chicken and Cheeva Pork, award-winning U-FARM’s products from the superfood-fed animals raised with high animal welfare standards, making the best quality meats that are antibiotics-free and having high nutritional values. Moreover, “CP SELECTION” brand, high quality products from animals fed with probiotic will be included in this zone.
The third area is ready-to-eat meals which showcases variety of delicious frozen menus, including chicken products, shrimp wonton, spaghetti, healthy high-fiber, low-calorie menus etc., The fourth part of exhibition displays healthy drinks brand INNOWENESS and Jelly BlackBit, a jelly mixed with herbs, white galingale, will be debuted at the event. The last zone is Cooking Helper products, such as soups, sauces, seasonings to help make cooking at home much easier.
CP Foods strives for sustainable food production under the vision of “sustainable Kitchen of the World” to deliver high quality and nutritious foods for ten billion consumers across the world by 2050. The company has adopted multiple hi-tech technologies such as AI technology, automation, Smart Farm and Smart Factory to improve efficiency and, in turn, minimize the company’s footprint. This will, consequently, help Thailand to transition toward becoming BCG Economy in the next decade.
Thaifex-Anuga World of Food Asia 2022 will be held between 24 and 28 May 2022 from 10.00-18.00 hrs. CP Foods pavilion will be located at the booth number U01 and U05 in the Challenger Hall 2, IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok.
Thailand will promote micro-entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to use the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) model for sustainable economic development, Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said on Friday.
He made the remarks during the opening of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) BCG Symposium 2022.
He explained that the BCG model includes three essential elements:
Bio-economy: Using biodiversity to boost the economy.
Circular economy: Using resources effectively and in an environmentally friendly way in line with 3Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle.
Green economy: Developing manufacturing and service sectors to become environmentally friendly.
Thailand added the BCG model to the national agenda on January 19 last year, which is in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he said.
He added that many countries have implemented plans in line with SDGs, such as Australia’s bio-industry development in Queensland, Singapore’s zero-waste masterplan, China’s five-year development plan and Canada’s bio-digital convergence.
“Thailand’s BCG model will generate beneficial outcomes for all economic zones worldwide,” he said, “Today, we are focusing on enabling MSMEs to use the BCG model for environmentally friendly manufacturing and services.”
He added that the Commerce Ministry has applied the BCG model category which covers various products and services, such as future products, functional foods, food supplements, organic foods and lifestyle products, to boost economic value.
In the past six months — from the fourth quarter of last year to the first quarter this year — trade value in this category has increased by seven times, he said.
He added that the ministry also hoped that the Apec BCG Symposium 2022 would enable its members to exchange knowledge and seek new cooperations in line with this year’s theme: “Open. Connect. Balance”.
The baht opened at 34.42 to the US dollar on Friday, strengthening from Thursday’s close of 34.52.
The Thai currency is expected to move in a range between 34.35 and 34.55 to the dollar on Friday, according to Krungthai Bank market strategist Poon Panichpibool.
Poon said the baht rose due to a weakening dollar. But he added that the market has not fully opened to risk so the baht might fluctuate and weaken further to its resistance level at 34.70 to the dollar.
The Thai currency would be supported by sales of gold but will not strengthen significantly unless foreign investors begin buying Thai stocks continuously, Poon said.
The expected ceiling for the baht is 34.40 to the dollar, at which point importers would purchase the greenback.
Poon advised businesses to use hedging tools such as options to manage risks in the highly volatile currency market.
Chinese bought the most condominiums among foreigners in the first quarter of 2022, the Real Estate Information Centre (REIC) reported.
REIC acting director-general Wichai Viratakaphan said 2,107 condominium units worth THB10.26 billion were transferred to foreigners in the first quarter of 2022.
In the same quarter last year, foreigners that bought the most condominiums were:
Chinese: 949 units
Russians: 134 units
US citizens: 114 units
Britons: 91 units
Germans: 81 units
French: 77 units
Taiwanese: 53 units
Indians: 51 units
Canadians: 40 units
Australians: 34 units.
As for value, the foreigners that spent the most by nationality in quarter one of 2021 were:
Chinese: THB4.57 billion
Russians: THB435 million
Cambodians: THB401 million
Taiwanese: THB391 million
French: THB390 million
US citizens: THB344 million
Britons: THB325 million
Australians: THB318 million
Indians: THB271 million
Germans: THB255 million.
In the first quarter last year, 45 per cent of condominiums sold to foreigners were bought up by Chinese citizens.
However, Wichai said it was surprising that Cambodians spent the third highest amount among foreign buyers with 4 per cent, and was listed in the top ten ranking for the first time.
He added that India was also significant in condominium purchases and value as the country had not been listed among the top ten for the past four years.
Wichai said the number of condominium sales in the first quarter of 2021 was close to the number before the Covid-19 pandemic.
He expected foreign purchasing power to increase with the government easing entry restrictions on international arrivals.
Moreover, if China keeps its lockdown measures and the Ukraine-Russia conflict continues, real estate sales will be limited and property owners might have to rely on domestic purchasing power in the second half of this year, Wichai added.
DITP, Thai Chamber of Commerce and Koelnmesse Announce Readiness to Grandly Host THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA World-class Food and Beverage Trade Show Both On Ground and Virtually This 24- 28 May
The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Ministry of Commerce, the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) and Koelnmesse (KM) Germany, announced to organize THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA on the full scale under the name, THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA 2022 “The Hybrid Edition.”
This Asia’s largest and most comprehensive international food and beverage trade show is ready to be the ultimate connector and world-class trade platform for business operators in the food and beverage industry to meet, establish valuable business networks, create new marketing opportunities, gain new inspirations and insights into the emerging F&B breakthroughs and technology. THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA 2022 is taking place in the form of both On Ground Trade Show between 24th -28th May 2022 at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani and a Virtual Trade Show at http://www.thaifex-vts.com. It is anticipated to generate total revenue of over 10,000 million baht for the country.
Mr Phusit Ratanakul Sereroengrit, Director-Phusit Ratanakul SereroengritGeneral of Thailand’s Department of International Trade Promotion, revealed that before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA has been organized grandly as the annual on-ground trade exhibition. However, with the unprecedented and widespread COVID-19 pandemic last year, the organizers were prompted to adjust the event’s format to the THAIFEX – Virtual Trade Show (VTS) and hold the Virtual – Online Business Matching (V-OBM) on http://www.thaifex-vts.com. As the pandemic situation starts to improve this year, leading many countries, including Thailand, to lift the strict measures and reopen to international travellers, all the three organizers have, thus, agreed to grandly host THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA as the physical trade show, while also organizing the THAIFEX – Virtual Trade Show on the virtual platform, to hybrid all business possibilities under the name, THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA 2022 “The Hybrid Edition” under the concept Re-imagine the Future of Food & Beverage Industry.
“THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA 2022 is destined to be Asia’s largest and most comprehensive food and beverage trade exhibition, as well as the ultimate world-class trade platform that brings together international business operators in the food and beverage industry to connect and meet with their potential partners in fruitful business matchings both onsite and virtually. The physical trade exhibition is taking place this 24th -28th May at Challenger Hall 1-3 and IEC Hall 5-10 IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, opening for trade visitors for all 5 days. Public visitors are invited to shop and visit the exhibition booths on the last day of the trade event. To ensure the safety of the exhibitors and visitors, all the precautionary measures will be strictly adhered to and prioritized, affirmed Mr Phusit.
Jurin Laksanawisit , Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Mr Phusit further added that, upon hearing that this year THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA will be held On the Ground once again, both Thai and international business operators all respond positively to our invitation. Meanwhile, 58 Thailand’s Offices of Commercial Affairs around the world also invited buyers and importers and the number of their attendants is anticipated to climb up considerably.
At the same time, Koelnmesse, our co-organizer, has also extended the invitation to a wider list of buyers and importers. Therefore, we are confident that this trade exhibition would achieve the target and bring tremendous success, ultimately enabling to realize the Thai Food, World Food initiative of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit to expand the Thai food products to the global market.
In addition, THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA 2022 is expected to welcome a total number of 75,000 on-ground visitors and over 3,500 online visitors at http://www.thaifex-vts.com. It is forecasted that this event will generate a total purchase order of approximately 10,000 million baht, divided into orders from the physical trade event valued at 9,550 million baht and orders made via http://www.thaifex-vts.com valued at 450 million baht.
As for the On Ground Trade Show, THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA 2022 “The Hybrid Edition” presents the 11 following zones, namely, Fine Food, Drinks, Sweets & Confectionery, Seafood, Meat, Frozen food, Rice, Fruits & vegetables, Coffee & Tea, Food Service and Food Technology, as well as Tools/Appliances/Equipment and various services related to the food and beverage industry. The exhibition also features special showcase zones for halal food, organic food, innovative food as well as the top selected food products from various provinces across Thailand, following the initiative of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit for bridging cooperation among the provincial commerce offices as the provincial salesman to become the Nation’s salesman. Many other highlights include the Thai tropical fruits promotion such as durian and mangosteen that visitors can pre-order directly from the farmers at the event, or the Future Food exhibition that presents a showcase of Thai entrepreneurs who are becoming known and internationally recognized across the industry.
As for the Virtual Trade Show, THAIFEX – Virtual Trade Show (VTS) offers a unique virtual trade show experience via http://www.thaifex-vts.com. This ultimate platform combines Virtual Trade Fair and Virtual – Online Business Matching (V-OBM), enabling real-time virtual business matching for buyers all over the world including China. Visitors can select the product category of their interest, visit exhibition booths, watch videos, view 3D product catalogues, and view 2D products in 360-degree which can be rotated and zoomed in to read the label details. The industry professionals can also make an appointment for an online business matching via Chat, Voice Call, or Video Call or watch product presentations of various top exhibitors and innovative product startups via our digital live streaming platform.
Mr Visit Limlurcha, Vice Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand revealed that the food and beverage industry in Thailand made a contribution to GDP worth, generating approximately 5.5% of the country’s gross domestic product. Thailand is the 13th largest food exporter in the world, accounting for 2.3% of the world market share, and is the 4th in Asia after China, Indonesia and India. This THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA would enable Thai business operators, both large SMEs and new entrepreneurs to expand their products and services to both the international and domestic market, offering them the opportunities to meet with potential buyers both On the Ground and Virtually, while showcasing their innovative and creative products in response to the global demands and future food trends. THAIFEX–ANUGA ASIA is, thus, ready to support the business operators in the F&B industry to succeed and thrive.
“THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA 2022 is so well responded among both domestic and international F&B business operators who are very much ready to showcase their quality and innovative products to the world over. In addition, new products have been developed in response to the new emerging trends as well as the ever-changing market and consumer demands, such as the eco-friendly packaging that could be handled conveniently to maintain both the product’s quality and hygiene. As of now, over 722 Thai exporters, including over 400 SMEs, have confirmed their presence as the exhibitors, altogether comprising 2,085 exhibition booths. Meanwhile, we are contacted by a large number of trade visitors through various channels travelling from both within Thailand and overseas to join us. All these would make THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA 2022 encompass a wide variety of products ranging from Niche Market to Commodity and involved the industry players from every market level,” Mr Visit further added.
Mr Mathias Kuepper, Managing Director of Koelnmesse, revealed that this year’s event has attracted 815 international exhibitors and importers to showcase their products in a total exhibition space of 11,592 square meters, a figure that doubled from 2020. Despite the ongoing rigorous travel regulations in some countries, this increased number of international exhibitors affirms the pivotal role of this trade exhibition in driving the recovery of the food industry in the region.
Altogether, the overseas exhibitors and importers come from 35 countries, with the largest number of exhibitors from South Korea, followed by Vietnam, Italy, Malaysia and Turkey, many of which are enrolled in the Hosted Buyers program. In addition, major global companies such as Dole Asia and NTUC have confirmed to attend the event. This demonstrates that the physical trade show would play an extremely important role in expanding business opportunities. Meanwhile, exhibitors who are unable to attend the fair in person such as in China, also show their commitment to join virtually. This has proven that all businesses aspire to be part of this mega trade show and have done every possible way to overcome their travel restrictions.
“Meanwhile, we have witnessed a new emerging trend, which is the environmentally-conscious products and packaging designed for sustainability. This also includes products made from plants and the products with Clean labels, all of which will be displayed at this year’s THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA, covering over 20% of the total exhibition space. In response to the latest future food trends that focus on sustainability, the organizers have joined hands with Scholars of Sustenance (SOS), an international food rescue foundation to take care of the food surplus and ensure that there is no food waste left from this event. At the end of the event, the SOS team will collect all food surplus from the exhibitors and redistribute them to the low-income communities, orphanages and shelters, reaching all the vulnerable communities in society,” said Mr Mathias.
For further information on THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA 2022 “The Hybrid Edition,” please contact the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) at 1169. Those interested can register for an On a Ground visit at http://www.thaifex-anuga.com and the virtual trade show at www. thaifex- vts.com.
For further information, please contact: Public Relations Department, Integrated Communication Co., Ltd.,
Phusit Ratanakul SereroengritGeneral of Thailand’s Department of International Trade Promotion, revealed that before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA has been organized grandly as the annual on-ground trade exhibition. However, with the unprecedented and widespread COVID-19 pandemic last year, the organizers were prompted to adjust the event’s format to the THAIFEX – Virtual Trade Show (VTS) and hold the Virtual – Online Business Matching (V-OBM) on 
Jurin Laksanawisit , Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce
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