Integrating Food and Nutrition Security in a Middle-Income , Globalized , Food-Exporting Nation : Thailand ’ s Food Policy Challenge
of tying Thai agriculture to food processing opportunities ( Goss , Burch , & Rickson , 2000 ). The 1990s saw a huge growth in the export of frozen shrimp and chicken meat ( largely supplied by CP ), and other processed agricultural goods and canned foods , and rice exports diminished in importance . It is , however , important to note that despite the growth of agri-business firms such as CP in Thailand , independent and small to medium scale firms continued to account for the majority of food processing activity .
Several factors have contributed to Thailand ’ s rise as a major food-producing nation : ( 1 ) the strong Thai domestic market allows producers in Thailand a bigger market for their products than nearby developing nations ; ( 2 ) strength in agro-processing supported by extensive research and development investment from private and public sources ; ( 3 ) improvements in packaging ; ( 4 ) very strict food hygiene and safety laws ; and ( 5 ) successful promotion of the Thai diet as healthy and its spread round the world ( Murray , 2007 ; Poapongsakorn , 2010 ).
Also important for Thailand ’ s increasing role as a processed and raw food exporter are free trade agreements with major trading partners , particularly Australia and India , with an agreement with the European Union currently under negotiation . As well , as a member of the Association of South East Asian Nations ( ASE- AN ), Thailand participates in several free trade zones . These ASEAN trade
9 zones include Australia again as well as India and importantly China . In fact , Thailand is the most active country in Asia in pursuing these agreements , which have broadened Thailand ’ s export market particularly into neighboring ASEAN countries and China . The flip-side of the free trade regime has been openness to increased food imports , particularly of temperate region produce and cheaper products from China ( Prachason , 2009 ; Zamroni , 2006 ).
By the late 2000s , Thailand was the only net food exporter in Asia . It has achieved this by both growing food and developing its own food processing industry . Problems remain , however , with the Thai agricultural sector . Thailand ’ s agriculturalists have amongst the lowest productivity levels in the region and have moved into other work sectors at a slower rate than in other comparable countries . This is exemplified by the fact that 40 % of the Thai workforce is still engaged in agriculture which only contributes around 10 % of GDP ( Kelly et al ., 2010 ). As well , Thai farmers remain amongst the most financially insecure groups in the country ( Isvilanonda & Bunyasiri , 2009 ; Jitsuchon & Siamwalla , 2009 ). The Thai government has two broad policy approaches to the future of the Thai food system and Thai agriculturalists livelihoods : the Kitchen to the World and the Sufficiency Economy . We will now consider the potential of each of those approaches to improve income , nutrition , and food security of Thai food producers .