Thai fruit growers pressed to maintain high sanitary standards

The President of Thai fresh fruit Trader and Exporter Association, Paiboon Wongchotesathit, says to safeguard the export market, exporters must apply high sanitary standards to ensure that the shipments are not tainted with the Covid-19 virus.

In face of the Covid-19 crisis having a large negative impact on the economy, exports of fresh fruit from Thailand are still operational as demand from China continues.

“Fruit exports, especially durian, will be able to achieve growth this year because Chinese consumers are likely to cut back on travel and focus on import and export.”

According to Paiboon, currently, durian prices range from 145 to 150 baht per kilogram, which is higher than last year’s rate of 130 to 135 baht per kilogram. Due to the fruit’s popularity in China, the number of exporters has risen to 1,000 business operators from 300 in the last 3 years.

Fruit exporters are strongly urging Thai growers to ensure higher sanitary standards to protect the industry from the effects of the pandemic. Paiboon, asks exporters to make sure that workers wear face masks and to supply hand gel for food pickers and packers so their hands are frequently cleansed.

“If the workers are infected and transmit the virus to customers through droplets on products, the whole export industry will be ruined.”

Currently, there are around 5,000 workers in the fruit export industry.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

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