UTCC: Thailand’s Export Growth Could Hit 16.5%

The Thai’s export value for 2011 is expected to be between US$219 billion to $227 billion, an expansion of 12.4 per cent to 16.5 per cent year-on-year, Ath Pisalvanich, director of the International Trade Studies Centre at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said on Monday.
Mr Ath projected the second quarter’s exports would increase between 2.4 per cent and 5.6 per cent from the first quarter to between $54.5 billion and $56.7 billion.
Export growth is expected to be boosted by expansion in major markets such as China and India, and in the other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Other key markets, especially the US and European Union, are unlikely to expand much this year, the director said.
According to Mr Ath, factors that affected Thai exports were:
1) The earthquake and deadly tsunami in Japan. 2) The continuing political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. 3) Increasing global oil prices, which lead to high transportation costs, and 4) The southern flood, which would affect exports in the second quarter, particularly rubber and prawns for which the key production bases are in the South.
Mr Ath warned exporters to keep a special watch on global oil price increases and natural disasters, which seemed to occur more frequently of late.
He said the baht's appreciation is not a major problem as Thai products remain competitive on world markets.
(Bangkok Post, Thailand, April 11, 2011)