FTI Chairperson Targets CapU Increase for '69 GDP Growth

Matichon•Economy•2d ago

Reader Briefing

The Federation of Thai Industries proposes the Buy Thai project and production unlocking measures to increase industrial GDP by 140 billion baht.

•Pimjai Lee-isaranukul, Chairperson of the Federation of Thai Industries, analyzed the Thai economy in Q2 2026.
•The Federation of Thai Industries proposes increasing the Capacity Utilization Rate (CapU) from 57.5% to 62.5%.
•Proposed measures include the Buy Thai project and unlocking production constraints such as oil exports and government construction.

Overview

•The Thai economy in Q2 2026 expanded by 1.9% compared to the same period of the previous year.
•Pimjai Lee-isaranukul noted a K-shaped recovery, with large operators having a TISI index of 105.5 while small operators were at 75.3 in July.
•The average Capacity Utilization Rate (CapU) is currently at 57.47%.
•Low capacity utilization is attributed to structural energy and raw material costs, policy conditions for oil refineries, and investment in electronics expanding faster than production.
•The Federation of Thai Industries proposes the Buy Thai project targeting high-employment finished goods like textiles, apparel, footwear, and furniture.
•The Federation of Thai Industries suggests unlocking oil exports exceeding domestic demand and accelerating government construction projects using Made in Thailand (MiT) criteria.
•Increasing CapU by 5 points to 62.5% is estimated to increase industrial GDP by approximately 140,000 million baht, or 0.7% of GDP.

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Source: Matichon (Original)

Key Quotes

Pimjai Lee-isaranukul

"Exports that expanded in the first half of the year were primarily concentrated in electronics, while overall exports of other product groups remained limited, consistent with the limited recovery of the manufacturing sector."

การส่งออกที่ขยายตัวในช่วงครึ่งปีแรกกระจุกตัวอยู่ในสินค้าอิเล็กทรอนิกส์เป็นหลัก ขณะที่การส่งออกสินค้ากลุ่มอื่นโดยรวมยังขยายตัวได้จำกัด จึงสอดคล้องกับภาคการผลิตที่ยังฟื้นตัวจำกัด

Key Entities

Person

Pimjai Lee-isaranukul(พิมพ์ใจ ลี้อิสสระนุกูล)

Chairperson of the Federation of Thai Industries.

Organization

Federation of Thai Industries(สภาอุตสาหกรรมแห่งประเทศไทย)ℹ️

An organization that tracks industrial confidence and proposes economic drivers for the Thai industrial sector.

Policy

Buy Thai

A proposed project to create momentum from domestic demand targeting high-employment finished goods.

Made in Thailand (MiT)

Criteria promoted for use in government construction projects to restore orders for steel and construction materials.