September 30, 2009
Thailand poultry producers urges higher EU trade quota
The Thai Broiler Processing Exporters Association has called on the government to negotiate for an increase in export quotas with the EU.
This year's poultry exports forecast is pegged at 400,000 tonnes, the same as year-ago levels, said association manager Kukrit Arepagron.
So far this year, Thailand has exported 161,000 tonnes to the EU, where there was high demand for Thai poultry, he said.
But trade with the EU has hit a quota ceiling, prompting Thailand's poultry producers to urge for the negotiation of a higher quota.
However, both the association and the Commerce admitted that the request may be hard to fulfill. An evaluation of the EU market showed that if it relinquishes itself from WTO restrictions, it could completely do away with trade quotas.
As a result, the Thai Broiler Processing Exporters Association is pushing the government to forge a free trade agreement with the EU both as a nation and as a member of the ASEAN.
