Food exports are expected to grow by about 7% this year on the back of strong demand in Asian markets, says the National Food Institute (NFI).
President Petch Chinabutr yesterday said food exports could reach 1.08 trillion baht, up 6.93% from 1.01 trillion last year.
Demand is expected to rise from major food importers such as Japan and Asean members, particularly the Philippines, Myanmar, Laos and Indonesia.
"These traditional importers increase their orders every year, especially the orders of chicken, rice and frozen and canned food," said Mr Petch
Asean members are the biggest importers of Thai food at 200 billion baht, followed by Japan at 150 billion, the US at 130 billion, Europe at 120 billion and China at 110 billion.
"Demand in the US and the EU has slowed due to weak economic outlooks in recent years," Mr Petch said.
He said food as a raw material accounted for 60% of total food export value of 1.01 trillion baht last year, while processed and cooked foods comprised the rest.
"We plan to increase the value of processed and cooked food by 10% this year, which would increase margins and raise the total value of Thai food exports in general," Mr Petch said.
However, Visit Limprana, chairman of an NFI subcommittee called Thai Food Heritage, said it would be another tough year for food exports.
Demand should not be very strong since the economies of major Thai food importers remain weak, he said.
The NFI suggests food exporters seek innovations to improve their products to be more competitive in the world market.
"We're trying to help food firms develop their products by using more innovation to create added value," Mr Petch said.
The NFI played down the latest scandal about slavery in the Thai fisheries industry, saying it would have only a short-lived effect and the government would be able to tackle it eventually.