BANGKOK, Thailand – Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Captain Thamanat Prompow has ordered a broad rewrite of agricultural laws across 21 areas, directing agencies to remove outdated rules and eliminate barriers for farmers, exporters, and agribusinesses. The deputy prime minister appointed adviser Petipong Pungbun Na Ayudhya to steer the effort and named former permanent secretary Chawalit Chukhajorn as chair of the reform committee to ensure coordinated action.
The overhaul spans crops, fisheries, and livestock. In the crop sector, officials are reviewing regulations on vegetables, fruits, and fresh durian to eliminate obsolete requirements, revise penalties, and strengthen consultation with exporters. Fisheries reforms cover 11 issues, including genomic certification of aquatic animals, tariff adjustments to lower feed costs, national ice standards, electronic documentation, and stronger traceability from production to export. Livestock updates include electronic animal health certificates, clearer definitions for cooked products, and standardized documents for special species.
The ministry is also advancing structural changes, such as a national agricultural service provider system to expand access to modern machinery and technology. Work related to the EU’s deforestation regulation is accelerating through land-plot identification, agricultural traceability, satellite monitoring, and a centralized data platform intended to protect access to European markets.
Captain Thamanat said the reform package is meant to modernize Thailand’s agricultural system, improve farmers’ livelihoods, expand export potential, and provide both domestic and international operators with clearer, more efficient rules that support long-term growth. (NNT)
