Agriculture

The naturally fertile land central to Thailand’s Chao Phraya river basin, combined with increasingly well-developed infrastructure, serves as a strong foundation for what is a robust agricultural base. These advantages have propelled both small-scale farmers and larger agriculture companies from Thailand into the forefront of global agri-business, with the country ranking among the world’s leaders in the exportation of rice, seafood, rubber and sugar, as well as serving as a home base for some of the region’s largest food production companies. In 2014 the agricultural sector contributed $20bn to GDP, up slightly from $19.9bn recorded the previous year. In terms of value added, this was equivalent to 10.5% of the country’s GDP for the year. This chapter contains interviews with Krisda Monthienvichienchai, CEO and President, Mitr Phol; and Luck Wajananawat, President, Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives.