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Home Blog Page 3586

Commerce Ministry adjusts fruit distribution plan as exports…

National news Thailand

Apr 20, 2020

logomain — Commerce Ministry Adjusts Fruit Distribution Plan As Exports...

BANGKOK (NNT) – The Ministry of Commerce is putting more emphasis on domestic markets for fruit sales this year, as the export sector is suffering from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The Ministry wants to see more fruit sold from grocery trucks that deliver items right to a customers’ home.

A caravan of Blue Flag grocery trucks has been dispatched from Talaad Thai, a supersized wholesale market for groceries, to sell grocery items to villagers where they live, and communities in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces.

These 350 grocery trucks will be selling fruit and vegetables, as well as essential items such as eggs, instant noodles, palm oil, and hand sanitizers.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit, said today that the ministry is working with the Thai Agricultural Wholesale Market Association, the Thai Fresh Market Association, and the National Farmers Federation to adjust this year’s fruit distribution plan, affected by logistics and export issues.

The Commerce Ministry will be putting more emphasis on domestic markets, both online and offline, where wholesale markets across the country will help supply fruit to fresh markets, modern malls, and grocery trucks. Provincial commercial affairs officials are tasked with becoming salespersons for produce in their province.

Thailand Post will be providing free transportation for at least 200 tons of fruit to help cooperatives, community enterprises, and farmers sell their produce online on Thailand Post Mart, as well as other e-commerce platforms including Lazada and Shopee.

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IMF sees Thailand’s growth down 6.7 percent in 2020

Thailand Business News

Apr 19, 2020

Covid-19 crisis could be worse than the Global Financial Crisis, and Asia is not immune, says the IMF. While there is huge uncertainty about 2020 growth prospects, and even more so about the 2021 outlook, the impact of the coronavirus on the region will—across the board—be severe and unprecedented.

Unlike the US and other major economies, emerging and developing Asia is likely to be the only region with a positive growth rate in 2020, averaging at 1 per cent.

But according to IMF latest projection, Thailand could stand as the worst performer among its Asean peers with a staggering drop of 6.7 % of its GDP. Singapore would be the second worst performer with a -3.5% GDP forecast for 2020.

Shutdowns from the pandemic could trigger a tsunami of job losses in Thailand especially for employees who don’t have a regular salary, low-paid workers and people without a written contract.

The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) says that as much as 7 million workers could be out of a job by June because of shutdowns from the pandemic.

Vietnam has emerged as the Asean’s best performer in the report at 2.7% growth, followed by Myanmar at 1.8% growth.

Growth in Asia is expected to stall at zero percent in 2020. This is the worst growth performance in almost 60 years, including during the Global Financial Crisis (4.7 percent) and the Asian Financial Crisis (1.3 percent). That said, Asia still looks to fare better than other regions in terms of activity.
“World Economic Outlook: The Great Lockdown” IMF report

The Bank of Thailand also trimmed its growth outlook last month to a 5.3% contraction and…

Read the complete story on Thailand Business News

TAT update: Thailand remains on guard despite a continuous drop in new COVID-19 cases

Tourism Authority of Thailand

Apr 19, 2020

Tat Update: Thailand Remains On Guard Despite A Continuous Drop

Bangkok, 14 April, 2020, at 13.00 Hrs. – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to inform international and domestic tourists that Thailand remains on guard in its unprecedented effort to prevent and mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) despite a continuous drop in the daily rate of new Covid-19 cases.

Over the last few days, Thailand saw under 50 new COVID-19 cases daily. However, according to the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, the number of patients and new deaths in the country are still being reported, so intensive measures are being implemented in all areas.

Following a raft of measures introduced as of 26 March, 2020, the day Thailand entered a state of emergency, which is set to last until 30 April, 2020, the nation has seen unprecedented measures being introduced both on a national and provincial level.

A raft of directives includes restrictions for access to risk areas; closure of risk areas; closure of entry/access points (land, sea and air) to the country; restrictions on the hoarding of consumer items, and ensuring of price controls on items; restrictions on large gatherings; restrictions on the deliberate dispensing of distorted information, and avoid commuting between provinces. Those who travel to another province will be required to undergo health checks and provide their personal details for tracking or quarantine.

Additional measures include the 22.00-04.00 Hrs. nationwide curfew from 3 April, 2020, until further notice; the entry and exist bans by several provinces; closure of an extended list of venues and services, restrictions on the opening hours of shops and services; travel and activity restrictions in line with the directives under the state of emergency; postponement of the reopening of all schools for the new semester to 1 July, 2020; and extension of the ban on inbound passenger flights until 18 April, 2020.

Cancellation of the Songkran holiday and activities as well as banning alcohol sales nationwide are also among the tireless measures introduced by the Royal Thai Government to restrict group gatherings.

Once again, TAT would like to remind all of you to stay safe through this difficult time, prepare for the time when travel and tourism returns, and we can all enjoy the amazing Thai travel experiences with our beloved family and friends.

In the meantime, please adhere to the recommendations to prevent the COVID-19 infection by the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health:

If anyone makes contact with other people or visits risk areas, when they return home, it is recommended to clean their body, take a bath or shower, wash their hair, and change clothes before meeting with elder relatives (avoid close contact with the elderly).
Eat well-cooked food, use separate bowls, dishes and personal spoons and forks, and keep a distance between seats of at least 1 metre.
Refrain from joining groups for drinking any kinds of alcoholic beverages.
Regularly clean the house including appliances and furniture.
Avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight during the summer. Be careful not to dehydrate. Keep healthy and get enough sleep.

The Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, also gave suggestions for the elderly group and those with underlying diseases; such as, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic renal failure, etc., that they should stay inside the house. Do not let unknown people come near you. Refuse to participate in social activities or traditional activities with groups of people. Stay at home with hobbies to relax; such as, watering plants, cleaning the house and exercising to maintain good health.

TAT is constantly providing updates on the tourism-related COVID-19 situation in Thailand at the TAT Newsroom (https://www.tatnews.org/). For additional information and assistance relating to Thailand’s tourism, contact the TAT Contact Centre 1672 or Tourist Police 1155.

For constant updates of Thailand’s COVID-19 control measures for travellers, please visit https://ddc.moph.go.th/viralpneumonia/eng/index.php.

The post TAT update: Thailand remains on guard despite a continuous drop in new COVID-19 cases appeared first on TAT Newsroom.

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Royal Thai Air Force modifies bomb disposal robot to help medical personnel

National news Thailand

Apr 19, 2020

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BANGKOK (NNT) – The Directorate of Medical Services of the Royal Thai Air Force has made adjustments to an explosive ordnance disposal robot, so that it can assist medical personnel in treating patients with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

This is a breakthrough for the country’s defense industry, as the bomb disposal robot, originally built by the private sector, has been modified to help treat COVID-19 patients.

The Director of the Directorate of Air Medical Services, AM Kriangkrai Sothonchai, led a group of health care workers to observe the robot’s functions today. The robot was jointly developed by Mahanakorn University of Technology and R V Connex Company Limited at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital – a military hospital operated by the Directorate of Medical Services. The main feature of the machine is that users can change both its hardware and software to serve different purposes. All of its components are made in Thailand.

The robot can lift heavy objects and its control radius can be expanded. Medical personnel can use it to communicate with patients as well as deliver food and other items in controlled areas, to help lower the risk of viral transmission. The robot will initially be used at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital to assist health care workers, who are treating COVID-19 patients.

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ASEAN pledges to ensure food security during COVID-19 outbreak

Asean News

Apr 19, 2020

ASEAN pledges to ensure food security during COVID-19 outbreak — Asean Pledges To Ensure Food Security During Covid 19 Outbreak

JAKARTA, 17 April 2020 – Deeply concerned with the potential impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on ASEAN cooperation in food, agriculture and forestry and the disruption of the food supply chain in the region, the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) issued a Joint Statement on 15 April reaffirming commitment to ensure food security, food safety and nutrition in the region during this outbreak.

The current AMAF Chair Dato Ali Apong, Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism of Brunei Darussalam, expressed his appreciation to his AMAF counterparts for their cooperation and collaboration. He affirmed that ASEAN will continue working to ensure the sustainable supply of sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meet the dietary requirement of ASEAN populations during and after the outbreak of the COVID-19.

While it is too early to assess the full impact of COVID-19, the pandemic-related disruptions on travel and supply chain markets will have potential risks on the availability and prices of food and agriculture produce in the region depending on the duration of the outbreak and the severity of containment measures needed. There will be immediate effects resulting from such measures adopted by several countries, and these measures will also have long-term effects on agriculture and livelihood, including the ASEAN economy on a broader scale.

THE AMAF pledged, among others, to minimise disruptions in regional food supply chains by working closely together to ensure that markets are kept open and transportation of agricultural and food products are facilitated. They also stressed the importance of reducing excessive price volatility particularly price spikes, ensuring adequate emergency food and reserves and providing timely and accurate market information.

The ministers urged the ASEAN Member States (AMS) to implement necessary measures, projects and programmes at the national level to meet the immediate food needs of the ASEAN population, particularly the vulnerable groups in the society. Further, they highlighted the need to boost AMS’ social protection programmes for smallholder farmers, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to increase food production and ensure food security in the region.

Mitigating the impact of COVID-19 essentially needs assessment study to determine the effectiveness of mitigation measures on food security and livelihood. The AMS are discussing a study focusing on the challenges and solutions undertaken by each ASEAN Member State to reduce disruptions in food and agriculture trade before, during and after the COVID-19 outbreak. The study will provide recommendations and advice to all AMS on how to address these challenges effectively.

The full text of the Joint Statement can be accessed here.

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Measures to aid fruit growers adjusted

National news Thailand

Apr 18, 2020

BANGKOK(NNT) – Urgent measures introduced to aid fruit growers have been adjusted to better respond to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation, placing greater emphasis on logistics systems and electronic commerce (e-commerce).

The Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the Ministry of Transport along with private entities have joined forces to speed up the distribution of fruit, while nine measures designed to help fruit growers have been fine-tuned into five urgent measures.

The new measures cover production and domestic marketing, including support for transport and an increase in distribution channels with Thai Post tapped to disseminate 200 tons of fruit free of charge based on necessity, international marketing via e-commerce channels, and a liquidity boost for operators being achieved by repaying three percent of their interest for six to 10 months.

Agreements have been signed with portals such as Thailandpostmart.com and agrimark.dit.go.th, to add fruit to their lineup of vegetables, flowers, grain, cosmetics and apparel.

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Eastern Royal Rainmaking Operations Center steps up efforts against drought

National news Thailand

Apr 17, 2020

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RAYONG(NNT) – The Eastern Royal Rainmaking Operations Center is stepping up operations to offset drought and replenish reservoirs in aid of fruit growers.

The Director of the Eastern Royal Rainmaking Operations Center in Rayong province, Wiraphon Sudchada, explained that the center was established at U-Tapao Airport to cope with a prevailing drought affecting the Eastern region. The center began work in February this year and uses three Cessna Caravan planes.

So far, six missions totaling seven flights have resulted in moderate showers in Chanthaburi, throughout Muang Chanthaburi, Khlung, Makham, Pong Nam Ron, Khao Kitchakut and Kaeng Hang Maew districts; Chonburi, throughout Bo Thong, Nong Yai, Ban Bueng, Si Racha and Koh Chan districts and the basins of Kiritarn Reservoir, Prakat Reservoir and Khlong San Sai Reservoir. Further rains were also reported in Rayong at its Nong Kor Reservoir and Khlong Luang Rachalothorn Reservoir. Rainfall ranged from 0.4 millimeter to 39.5 millimeters.

Chonburi, Chanthaburi and Rayong are key fruit growing provinces for the nation and have been severely hit by drought. While efforts to produce rain have been stepped up, officials have noted weather conditions have impeded work. Nonetheless, they have urged farmers and local residents to be confident they will ease the situation soon.

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Appeals relating to the 5,000-baht cash subsidy can only be…

National news Thailand

Apr 16, 2020

BANGKOK(NNT)-The Ministry of Finance has dismissed as untrue reports that it will receive people’s complaints, about issues related to applications for the government’s 5,000 baht a month financial aid, at the ministry’s canteen.

The Ministry of Finance explained that those who are not qualified to receive the cash can file an appeal, after the government has finished checking the information of all 27 million applicants. Appeals can only be lodged online, which complies with the rule of social distancing. The government is expected to start receiving appeals on April 19 this year.

The Finance Ministry rejected reports that it will receive complaints at its canteen today (Apr 14). The reports were false, and people do not have to come to the ministry to submit their complaints.

The government’s website, for people to register to receive the cash handout, will add an “appeal” button next week. People can submit their appeals online, as the system is reliable, accurate and fast. To submit, they can contact Krungthai Bank’s (KTB) 24-hour hotline service at 021111144, or call the Fiscal Policy Office’s (FPO) call center at 022739020 during normal office hours.

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