January 9, 2009
BANGKOK (AFP) - Thailand hopes to boost its exports by up to five percent this year through urgent measures to counteract the global economic downturn, its commerce minister said Wednesday.
But Pornthiwa Nakasai warned that without urgent policy solutions exports could contract by three percent in 2009.
"If there are no boosting measures, Thai exports may contract up to three percent," she said, following a meeting with private sector representatives.
Thailand's economy is heavily dependent on exports, which account for 60 percent of GDP.
Pornthiwa said the measures would cover five topics -- supporting product improvement, cutting raw material costs, retaining existing customers, attracting new orders and improving the image of Thailand's export products.
