BANGKOK, Thailand – The Ministry of Commerce has introduced the “Elevating SMEs to Expand into FTA Markets” program to support Thai small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and promote the export of future food products to Japan by leveraging Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).
The program targets four high-growth food categories: functional food, novel food, medical food, and organic food. It helps participating SMEs take advantage of trade agreements such as the Thailand-Japan FTA, the ASEAN-Japan FTA, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which offer reduced or eliminated import tariffs to enhance cost efficiency and market competitiveness.
Out of 155 applicants, 20 SMEs were selected to join an intensive Boot Camp designed to strengthen their export readiness. From this group, 10 finalists will be chosen to travel to Tokyo in July 2025 to explore business opportunities and engage in targeted business-matching sessions with Japanese importers. (NNT)
