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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/economy/40021498

China’s durian market threatens to become less juicy for Thai exporters

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2022

Thailand’s durian exporters should start making adjustments as fierce competition is bound to reduce their market share in China from 2025.

Krungthai Compass research centre warned on Friday that successful durian cultivation in China and competitors’ expansion will make Thailand’s market share drop from 95.9 per cent in 2021 to 90.4 per cent in 2025 and 88.1 per cent in 2030.

“Even though competitors’ market share is still lower than Thailand, it is likely to start surging,” the research house said.

The report pointed out that Malaysia’s market share has been expanding since 2016, as its Musang King variety is becoming increasingly popular. It said Chinese consumers are starting to develop a taste for this variety even though it is four times more expensive than Thai durian.

It added that China opening its durian market to Vietnam will also create a dent in Thailand’s market share.

“Competition will become intense when it comes to pricing,” Krungthai Compass warned.

However, it said China’s success in cultivating durian should not have a short-term impact on Thailand’s export because the harvests are not big enough.

It expects China to harvest 150 to 250 tonnes of the Musang King and Black Thorn varieties this month, accounting for only 0.3 per cent of Thailand’s durian export.

However, the report said, China’s productivity is expected to rise by up to 20 per cent annually between 2024 and 2030.

Krungthai Compass concluded its report by advising exporters to follow the D-U-R-I-A-N principles to boost their competitiveness. The principle is:

Develop: Apply smart agriculture, innovative packaging and product development to meet demand.

Unique: Promote and build awareness of Thai durian’s unique taste via online and offline channels.

Research: Research and develop new durian varieties that are of high quality and resistant to disease.

Improve: Improve the fruit to become a high-value product and promote sales through e-commerce platforms.

Assurance: Boost confidence among consumers throughout the durian supply chain.

New market: Expand exports to other potential markets such as Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and the US, to avoid reliance on China alone.

Related stories:

• Vietnam fast becoming Thailand’s competitor in China durian market
• Smell of success: PH durian soon exported to China
• ‘Musang King’ durian species not suited for M’sia forest farms: minister

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/economy/40021478

Thailand on path to economic recovery as unemployment figures fall

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2022

The Thai economy is showing signs of improvement with the gross domestic product rising 2.4 per cent year on year in the first half of 2022.

The latest National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) report explained that the country’s GDP contracted heavily by -6.2 per cent in 2020 due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures.

However, things began to improve in the second half of 2021, when most of the population was fully vaccinated and the global economy began picking up. This resulted in Thailand’s GDP expanding by 1.5 per cent in 2021, and the unemployment rate also dropping to 1.6 per cent in the last quarter of the year, compared to 1.9 per cent in the same period of 2020.

“The economy in the first half of 2022 maintained this improvement and saw an expansion of 2.3 per cent in the first quarter and 2.5 per cent in the second quarter, or an average of 2.4 per cent,” government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said on Friday citing NESDC’s report.

“The rate of unemployment at the end of the second quarter came in at 1.4 per cent, the lowest since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, signifying a recovery in the labour market.”

Anucha said government stimulus measures, like the “Let’s Go Halves” co-payment scheme and “We Travel Together” tourism scheme, have helped stimulate the economy.

The government also issued two loan decrees for 1.5 trillion baht to cover Covid-19 vaccines and treatment as well as to compensate those affected by the lockdown measures. This, Anucha said, has helped people get back on their feet faster and contributed to economic recovery.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/economy/40021474

Thailand to get 2.3m foreign arrivals per month until March: Official Airlines Guide

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2022

Thailand can expect an average of 2.3 million foreign arrivals per month until March next year, according to the winter flight schedule posted by the Official Airlines Guide (OAG).

The OAG estimates Thailand will see 573,538 international visitors per week over the winter schedule (October 2022-March 2023).

It forecasts that most international passengers landing in Thailand this winter will be from Southeast Asia (211,744 passengers per week), followed by Northeast Asia (175,588 per week), South Asia (66,877 per week), Europe (56,354 per week), and the Middle East (44,990 per week).

OAG’s passenger estimate for the winter season is 74.2 per cent higher than figures for summer, which saw a weekly average of 329,288 arrivals, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn said on Thursday.

TAT also expects more visitors from distant markets to land in Thailand thanks to new routes, notably Air Austral’s Reunion Island-Bangkok service, which expects to carry around 280 passengers per flight twice a week.

Reunion Island is a French territory in the Indian Ocean with over 800,000 people comprising mainly high-worth seniors and families, said Yuthasak.

Meanwhile, Oman Air will increase its Paris-Muscat-Bangkok service to five flights per week from December 20. Air France will increase flights on its Paris-Bangkok route to five per week from November and then to seven per week from January.

Yuthasak said TAT is in talks with Air Belgium to open a Brussels-Bangkok route next summer. Thai Airways International scrapped its direct service from Belgium to Thailand last month.

Meanwhile, Airports of Thailand (AOT) estimates that traffic at its six international airports will return to 74 per cent of pre-Covid levels in fiscal year 2023 (October 2022-September 2023), with about 665,000 flights. An estimated 96 million passengers will use its Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Chiang Rai airports, or 68 per cent of the pre-Covid tally.

Santisuk Klongchaiya, chief executive officer at Thai AirAsia, said the carrier expects domestic flights this year to return to near pre-covid levels. The airline has witnessed increased bookings from international passengers in Asean countries, India, Japan and Bangladesh after travel restrictions were lifted and it opened routes to Fukuoka and Dhaka.

Thai AirAsia hopes to secure its highest turnover in three years by the end of 2022, said the CEO.