Supajee Adjusts Chanthaburi Fruit Metropolis Strategy

MGR Online•Politics•21d ago

Reader Briefing

The Ministry of Commerce is shifting the Chanthaburi Fruit Metropolis project toward a market-led production and processing model due to legal and budgetary constraints.

•Supajee Sutthampun explained the adjustment of the Chanthaburi Fruit Metropolis management center to Senator Yukol Chanawatpanya.
•The project faced budget, location, and legal constraints regarding Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) under the Public-Private Partnership Act 2019.
•The Ministry of Commerce is implementing a 'market-led production' strategy to increase value through processing and advance market creation.
•Thai fruit exports, specifically durian, grew from 150,000 tons in 2005 to over 1 million tons in 2025.

Overview

•The project to establish the Chanthaburi Fruit Metropolis management center was initially pushed since 2005.
•The project was later delayed due to budget limitations, location issues, and observations from the State Audit Office of the Kingdom of Thailand.
•In 2018, a revival attempt for a 940 million baht budget failed because the State Enterprise Policy Office determined it did not qualify as infrastructure or public service under the Public-Private Partnership Act 2019.
•Durian export value increased from approximately 2,700 million baht in 2005 to 143,000 million baht in 2025, and reached 145,892 million baht in the first 7 months of 2026.
•The Ministry of Commerce coordinated transport routes through Vietnam to China and opened 40 additional special channels to facilitate exports.
•The Department of International Trade Promotion and commercial diplomats are studying market demands regarding varieties, size, and quality to plan for future seasons.
•The Ministry of Commerce, Chanthaburi province, the private sector, and Rambhai Barni Rajabhat University are studying processing guidelines to prepare for the 2027 production season.
•Supajee Sutthampun stated that the Ministry of Commerce maintains the goal of upgrading integrated fruit management and will implement advance market creation and new market openings immediately.

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Key Quotes

Supajee Sutthampun

"If what we used to do faced constraints, we must adjust the method, not do the same thing and face the same problems. I confirm that I have not abandoned this matter and will move forward to create good results for farmers."

ถ้าสิ่งที่เคยทำติดข้อจำกัด เราต้องปรับวิธีการ ไม่ใช่ทำแบบเดิมแล้วติดปัญหาเดิม ดิฉันยืนยันว่าไม่ได้ทิ้งเรื่องนี้ และจะเดินหน้าต่อ เพื่อให้เกิดผลลัพธ์ที่ดีกับเกษตรกร

Key Entities

Person

Supajee Sutthampun(ศุภจี สุธรรมพันธุ์)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce.

Yukol Chanawatpanya(ยุคล ชนะวัฒน์ปัญญา)

A member of the Senate.

Organization

Ministry of Commerce(กระทรวงพาณิชย์)ℹ️

The government ministry driving the upgrade of fruit management and implementing market-led production.

State Audit Office of the Kingdom of Thailand(สำนักงานการตรวจเงินแผ่นดิน (สตง.))ℹ️

The agency that observed that the public sector should focus on support while the private sector should handle investment and management.

State Enterprise Policy Office(สำนักงานคณะกรรมการนโยบายรัฐวิสาหกิจ (สคร.))ℹ️

The agency that determined the project did not fall under the scope of infrastructure or public services for PPP.

Department of International Trade Promotion(กรมส่งเสริมการค้าระหว่างประเทศ)

The department responsible for studying market demands and promoting processed fruit products.

Thai Trade Center(สำนักงานส่งเสริมการค้าในต่างประเทศ (สคต.))

The office responsible for gathering market demand data in foreign countries.

Rambhai Barni Rajabhat University(มหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏรำไพพรรณี)

The university collaborating to study fruit processing guidelines in Chanthaburi.

Law

Public-Private Partnership Act 2019(พระราชบัญญัติการร่วมลงทุนระหว่างรัฐและเอกชน พ.ศ. 2562)

The law under which the project was found to have legal constraints regarding joint investment.

Place

Chanthaburi(จันทบุรี)ℹ️

The province designated as the location for the Eastern Central Market and the Fruit Metropolis project.

Vietnam(เวียดนาม)ℹ️

The country through which fruit transport routes to China are coordinated.

China(จีน)ℹ️

The destination market for Thai fruit exports via Vietnam.