The Board of Investment (BOI) approved promotional privileges for 793 investment projects worth a total of 217.56 billion baht in the first quarter of this year, over six times the value of approvals for the same period last year.
Acting BOI secretary-general Hirunya Suchinai said on Tuesday that in the first quarter of last year investment projects gaining BOI approval were valued around 34.65 billion baht.
In the first three months of this year, investment projects in many sectors received promotional privileges -- services and public utilities, electrical and electronic products, chemical products, plastics, paper, metal products, machinery, transport equipment, agricultural products, light industry, basic metal products, ores and ceramics.
The biggest single sector was services and public utilities at 60.57 billion baht, followed by 56.13 billion baht in electrical and electronic projects, and 35.85 billion baht in chemical, plastic and paper production.
Mrs Hirunya said she hoped these projects would be implemented as they would significantly assist economic growth this year.