Bangkok - Thailand's food exports are expected to reap a windfall from increasingly stringent measures placed on Chinese goods this year by huge import markets such as the US, European Union and Japan, news reports said Monday. According to Vilai Kiatsrichart, president of the Thai Food Processing Association, food orders have increased this month as Chinese exports came under increasing surveillance for sanitary and safety violations, reported the Bangkok Post.
"Although Thai exports have lost competitiveness from the strong baht, our quality standards give us a stronger edge," said Vilai.
The baht currency has appreciated about 6 per cent against the dollar this year, and jumped 12 per cent against the greenback in 2006.
Thailand is the world's 12th largest food exporter, with the industry expected to earn 140 billion baht (4.1 billion dollars) in foreign exchange this year, up 10 to 12 per cent on last year's earnings.
