ส.อ.ท. ชง 3 ยุทธศาสตร์พลิกเกษตร–อาหารไทยสู่เศรษฐกิจมูลค่าสูง ชู “Thailand Food Valley” เพิ่มรายได้–สร้าง Food Security–รุกตลาดโลกFTI Proposes 3 Strategies to Transform Thai Agriculture and Food Sector into a High-Value Economy, Highlighting “Thailand Food Valley” to Increase Income, Ensure Food Security, and Penetrate Global Markets

The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) has proposed three strategies to enhance the Thai agricultural and food sectors, shifting from the production and export of raw materials to becoming a "high-value food and agricultural product production base" by leveraging market demands. The proposal highlights Thailand Food Valley as a mechanism to connect agriculture, industry, innovation, market, and investment, alongside creating a strong supply chain and upgrading Thai product standards to be competitive in the global trade framework. The goal is to increase farmers' incomes, create opportunities for SMEs, enhance export value, and reinforce the country's food security.

On August 13, 2026, Dr. Thongdee Paso, Chairman of the Food and Beverage Industry Group of FTI, participated in a meeting of the Agricultural Products and Food Security Working Group under the Office of the Prime Minister, chaired by Mr. Kobsak Pootrakool, advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister, at Room 301, Government House.

FTI acknowledges that amidst the volatility of the global economy, climate change, supply chain risks, and increasingly strict international trade rules, having an advantage solely based on agricultural resources and production is no longer sufficient. Thailand must transition from competing on "quantity and price" to competing on "value, quality, standards, and innovation."

Therefore, the critical challenge for Thailand is not just to “produce more,” but to “produce according to market needs, increase value, and ensure that the increased value returns to farmers and the Thai economy” by linking farmers, community enterprises, SMEs, industries, research institutions, technology, and markets both domestically and internationally into a cohesive system.

Thus, FTI proposes three key strategies to elevate the country's agricultural and food sector as follows:

1. Promote “Thailand Food Valley” to connect agriculture, industry, and innovation towards high-value products.

FTI proposes to drive Thailand Food Valley as a crucial mechanism to integrate production, processing, research and development, innovation, marketing, and investment, using “market-driven production” to ensure that production planning begins from consumer demands and end-market needs, rather than producing first and then seeking markets.

This approach will help farmers and operators transition from selling raw materials to producing processed goods, high-value food products, and products that meet the demands of the modern market, thereby reducing risks from price fluctuations in agricultural products and ensuring that the added value throughout the supply chain can more effectively return to Thai farmers and entrepreneurs.

At the same time, it is essential to rapidly develop necessary infrastructure across the entire supply chain, including collection and packing centers for agricultural products, temperature-controlled transportation and storage systems, traceability and source verification systems, as well as access to technology, financing, and markets, to concretely enable farmers, community enterprises, and SMEs to integrate into a higher value chain.

2. Build Food Security and a supply chain ready to handle volatility.

Food security is emerging as a strategic issue globally, amidst risks from climate change, natural disasters, geopolitical conflicts, energy prices, and global market volatility. Therefore, Thailand must upgrade from being a country that “can produce food” to one that “can manage food security.”

FTI proposes the development of a comprehensive agricultural and food product information system that is interconnected and covers production quantities, remaining stocks, prices, and market demands, along with establishing a real-time monitoring and alert system to effectively plan production, product distribution, and essential goods management in accordance with circumstances.

This system will help mitigate issues of market oversupply or shortages, reduce losses throughout the supply chain, and enhance Thailand's ability to maintain food system continuity in times of crisis.

The primary objective thus is not only to ensure sufficient food availability but to create a resilient supply chain capable of accommodating volatility (Supply Chain Resilience), enabling Thailand to maintain food security while sustaining production and export capacity.

3. Upgrade standards and open pathways for Thai agricultural and food products to global markets.

Global market competition is shifting from price competition to competition based on quality, standards, safety, sustainability, sourcing, and traceability.

FTI, therefore, suggests accelerating the readiness of Thai agricultural products for international trade by developing a comprehensive standard inspection and certification system, reducing duplication of steps, and lowering time and costs for operators, as well as reviewing regulations that hinder trade to facilitate quicker and more competitive access for Thai products to international markets.

Furthermore, guidelines should be systemically outlined to prepare various product types, from production sources, inspection processes, standard certifications, to market requirements, where sustainably managed timber sources serve as a prime example reflecting the fact that future global trade rules will increasingly prioritize sourcing, sustainability, and traceability.

Transforming “agricultural advantages” into “economic value for the country.”

FTI believes that enhancing the agricultural and food sectors should not be a fragmented solution or conducted on a product-by-product basis but must interlink data, production, industry, innovation, logistics, standards, and trade together, with market demand steering the process and ensuring that the existing systems can operate cohesively.

If Thailand can effectively implement all three strategies, it will yield economic benefits at multiple levels, from increasing income and stability for farmers, opening up opportunities for SMEs in high-value businesses, fostering growth in the food industry, enhancing export value, to strengthening food security and the country's capacity to cope with global crises.

The ultimate goal is to transform Thailand from a dependency on traditional agricultural production and export into a “high-value food and agricultural product production base” capable of competing on quality, innovation, standards, and sustainability to ensure that the strength of the agricultural and food sectors generates higher income for farmers, adds value for businesses, and builds long-term economic stability for Thailand.