Thai exports hit 18.9 billion dollars in February, up 31 per cent from the same month a year earlier, indicating that 2011's exports might exceed the government target of 10-per-cent growth, news reports said Saturday. Imports in February reached 17.1 billion dollars, up 22.5 per cent year-on-year, leaving Thailand will a trade surplus of 1.8 billion dollars, the Bangkok Post reported.
Exports of agricultural products in February were valued at 3.3 billion dollars, up 33 per cent. Thailand, one of Asia's few net food exporters, has benefited from rising world prices for agricultural and food products, Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai said.
She said it was still too early to forecast how Japan's march 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters would impact Thai exports to the country, which is ranked fourth among Thailand's export markets. "If the situation in Japan returns to normal, Thailand should have 20-per-cent growth in this market to 24 billion dollars, up from 20.4 billion last year," she said.
Thailand has already experienced a surge in orders for chicken and pork this week from Japanese importers as producers in north-eastern Japan were forced to close down and cold-storage operations in the disaster-struck districts were disrupted by electricity cut-offs, the Post said.
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