ส.อ.ท. เดินหน้า “เชื่อมใจสภาจังหวัดสัญจร” ครั้งที่ 4 รับฟังเสียงกาญจนบุรี–ราชบุรี–สุพรรณบุรี เชื่อมโจทย์พื้นที่สู่การขับเคลื่อนFTI Advances “Connecting Hearts of Provincial Council” Roadshow, 4th Edition to Listen to the Voices from Kanchanaburi–Ratchaburi–Suphanburi, Linking Local Challenges to Driving Forces

FTI conducted a field visit to the Lower Central Region 1 to hear feedback from the industrial sector in Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, and Suphanburi, reflecting important issues including cost reduction, standard elevation, market and logistics linkage, clean energy promotion, and business networking.

On September 18, 2026, the Industrial Promotion and Support Department of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) proceeded with the 4th Roadshow “Connecting Hearts of Provincial Council,” gathering opinions from committees, members, and entrepreneurs in the Lower Central Region 1, comprising Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, and Suphanburi at the ณ เวลา Hotel in Ratchaburi.

This event was led by Mr. Phairat Uechuayoth, Vice Chairman of FTI and Chairman of the Industrial Promotion and Support Department, alongside FTI executives including Mrs. Benjamad Somboon, Vice Chairman of FTI, Mr. Natthakorn Soejindamanee, Deputy Secretary-General of FTI, and Secretary of the Provincial Department, Mr. Somphop Teerasarn, Deputy Secretary-General of FTI, Ms. Pawinee Sutthawiwat, Chairperson of the Central Industrial Council, and Mr. Charoenchai Chaleogriangrai, Secretary of the Central Industrial Council, along with a team from the Global Standard Institute and the Industrial Standards and Capability Department of FTI who provided information on FTI services, projects, and benefits to enhance understanding and increase member access to central support mechanisms.

Additionally, the President, committee members, and industrial council members from Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, and Suphanburi participated in exchanging views, highlighting problems, needs, and proposals from the local business sector.

For the Lower Central Region 1, the overall proposals reflected a collaborative direction in “cost reduction – standard elevation – market linkage – competitiveness enhancement,” encompassing six key issues as follows:

1. Enhance the competitiveness of Thai SMEs
Entrepreneurs expressed pressure from imported goods from China competing in the market, affecting sales and production of Thai SMEs, and proposed to accelerate the elevation of productivity and Thai product standards, along with supporting the use of Thai products, increasing market access, and creating business connections among members.

Moreover, it is also suggested to promote Made in Thailand (MiT) products to increase access to procurement opportunities in the public sector.

2. “Thai standards must be globally recognized”
The food entrepreneurs still bear the cost burden from standard inspections and certifications, while some certification types may not yet be fully recognized abroad.

Key proposals include utilizing the Central Lab network to reduce costs, developing a One Stop Service system for standards, pushing for Mutual Recognition, developing laboratories to international standards, and creating a Traceability system from raw materials to finished products to enhance credibility and support export markets.

3. Reduce logistics costs while increasing transport options
Logistics costs remain a critical issue for businesses, especially relying heavily on road transportation, thus it is proposed to promote the use of rail systems, expedite the study of developing the Nong Pladuk Dry Port, and connect Rail–Road–Water Transport systems to enhance multimodal transport.

Furthermore, promote entrepreneurs to access and benefit from ICD (Inland Container Depot) more to increase options and reduce transportation costs.

4. Strengthen “Nam Hom Coconut” throughout the supply chain
Nam Hom coconut is another key issue that the business sector emphasizes, necessitating the elevation of standards, quality, and market mechanisms to enhance competitiveness throughout the supply chain.

The proposed approach is to “establish standards – build confidence – create markets – establish prices” through the integration between the public and private sectors, involving the Ministry of Agriculture overseeing raw material quality, the Ministry of Industry regarding production processes and standards, the Ministry of Commerce concerning market, trade, and pricing, along with the private sector focusing on processing, innovation, and export market.

5. Energy Transition towards green industry
Entrepreneurs need to adapt to the Net Zero and clean energy goals but still face costs and regulatory constraints, thus proposals include relaxing regulations regarding self-generated electricity production in certain cases, promoting Renewable Energy for the industrial sector, and developing certification systems for the origin of electricity.

This includes reducing the costs of accessing Green Electricity and supporting SMEs to establish Carbon Footprints and set pathways to Net Zero in a manner suitable for the size and capacity of their businesses.

6. Strengthen the FTI Provincial Network
Another critical issue is ensuring that FTI members' networks can “effectively trade and support each other” by creating Business Connections among members in the three provinces, promoting Business Matching, market expansion, and the use of goods and services among members to turn the network into real business opportunities.