Bangkok: Thai agricultural products maintained a trade surplus of 194 billion baht in the first quarter, with efforts to add value to compete in the global market.
According to Thai News Agency, the Minister of Agriculture revealed that Thailand's agricultural trade in the first quarter of 2026 remained in surplus at over 194 billion baht, reflecting its strength in the global market despite increased price competition and trade standards. The minister emphasized the need to accelerate the upgrading of high-value-added agricultural products. Simultaneously, the South Asian market showed remarkable growth, with Thai agricultural exports increasing by over 153%, highlighting new opportunities for diversifying export markets.
Mr. Suriya Jungrungreangkit, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, revealed that the overall value of Thailand's agricultural trade in the first quarter of 2026 totaled 519,016 million baht, comprising exports of 356,575 million baht and imports of 162,441 million baht. This resulted in a trade surplus in agricultural products of 194,134 million baht.
Although Thailand continues to maintain a high trade surplus, the global trade situation remains volatile and competition has intensified. This includes fluctuations in agricultural commodity prices, production costs, transportation expenses, exchange rates, and environmental and sustainability standards that many countries are using as trade conditions.
Mr. Suriya stated that Thailand still has strengths in agricultural product diversity, food quality, and expertise in tropical agriculture. However, in the long term, Thailand cannot compete solely on production volume or world market prices. It is necessary to upgrade agricultural products to have higher added value, meet standards, and be traceable in order to create differentiation and enhance competitiveness in the global market.
Agricultural products in Thailand with potential for added value include processed chicken, pet food, processed tuna, seasonings, ready-to-eat meals, and food products that meet high safety standards. This helps increase export value and mitigate the impact of price volatility in primary agricultural commodities such as rice, rubber, and fresh fruit, which are still heavily tied to global markets.
Furthermore, the South Asian market shows promising growth potential, with the value of Thai agricultural trade with South Asia increasing by 55.84 percent, while exports rose by 153.85 percent. This reflects opportunities for Thailand to expand into new markets and reduce reliance on existing markets amidst global economic uncertainty.
Mr. Peerapan Kothong, Secretary-General of the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE), stated that a key approach to enhancing the competitiveness of Thailand's agricultural sector is to maintain the core agricultural commodities while increasing the proportion of high-value-added agricultural products. This also includes developing an agricultural trade information system capable of accurately monitoring market conditions, competitors, and demand trends in various countries.
Simultaneously, the development of standardization and traceability systems should be accelerated, especially for agricultural products related to environmental regulations and sustainability, such as rice, rubber, livestock, seafood, and processed agricultural products, in order to build buyer confidence and increase product value in the global market.
Mr. Peerapan stated that the key goal for the Thai agricultural sector in the coming period is not merely to increase exports, but to ensure that Thai agricultural products are competitive through quality, standards, safety, processing, and value-added creation. This will ensure that income from the global market sustainably benefits Thai farmers.