Expo -Thailand Pavilion, royal development projects for farmers

“As shown in Hall A at Thailand Pavilion in Expo Milano 2015, thanks to the advantage of geographical background, Thailand is known as “Golden Land” where agriculture has been a key sector of the country”. Moreover, with a variety of His Majesty Initiatives which ensure the sustainability in agriculture, “Thailand is now a major producing country of agricultural commodities and also a major exporter of agricultural products”. Says Mr. Taweepong Suwanaro, Director of Thailand Pavilion for Expo 2015, interviewed by Tribuna Economica. 
Participating in Expo Milano 2015 under the theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, “Thailand proudly showcases the capabilities to feed not only Thais but also the whole population of the world. In addition – continues -  the development of science and technology in food and agricultural industries enable Thailand to be a Kitchen to the World providing food to consumers all over the world with the confidence in food safety and food quality”. 

Director Taweepong Suwanaro, “Sustainability, balance of life” is the King of Thailand’s approach to his continuous efforts trying to support all the farmers in Thailand. Which initiatives and investments have been made?

As shown in Hall C “King of Agriculture” in Thailand Pavilion, Milano Expo 2015, His Majesty’s agricultural development project first began in the compound of the palace, Chitralada Villa, in 1961. Over 50 years, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej initiated 4,536 royal development projects for Thai farmers nationwide consisting of 166 agricultural development projects, 327 occupational promotion projects, 3,102 water sources development projects and 941 other projects. Based on “Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy” which consists of three pillars, namely moderation, reasonableness and risk management, these royal initiatives are aiming not only to develop and solve the problem of natural resources used in agriculture, but also to develop occupations and promote the knowledge among farmers all over the country. Since human resources is always considered as one of the most important components for development, many of these projects, such as royal development centres established during 1979 – 1983, Chang Hua Man royal project launched in 2009 and other 327 occupational promotion projects are the evidences of the investments in human resources which can ensure a sustainability for Thai farmers as well as Thai society. 

Here are some examples of the royal Initiatives over 50 years of His Majesty’s work on agriculture.

Which results have been achieved so far and what do you expect at the end?

For the first three months Thailand Pavilion has welcomed more than 700,000 visitors from all over the world. We communicate our participation in Milano Expo 2015 under the pavilion theme “Nourishing and Delighting the World” directly to the visitors through the exhibition and to the world through media such as magazine, newspaper and television. Moreover, to promote Thai ways of life and culture, Thailand Pavilion has organized 5 special events including “Songkran Festival (Thai New Year Festival)” which was held at the beginning of July. 

Here are the goals of Thailand Pavilion to be achieved by the end of Milano Expo 2015.

 To exhibit agricultural development, progress in technology and innovation, Thai wisdom as well as the harmony between Thai people and nature. To promote the confidence in food standard and food safety in Thailand in order to expand agricultural produces/ food export and attract investors to Thai agricultural and manufacturing sectors. To showcase the capacity of being the land of high quality food, food industry with high standard and diversified food culture. To strengthen the relations between Thailand and Italy as well as other participating countries.

What do you hope is the Expo Milano leaving behind as a legacy?

I believe that there are three things to be left with everyone even though the Expo Milano will come to an end. The first thing is the good memory that we have shared the same time and the same place being a part of history to think about how we can contribute to the world on food issue. The second thing is the connection between participant-participant as well as participant-visitor here in Expo Milano where we grow and deepen the friendship beyond frontiers, cultures and languages. Last but not least, collaboration among participating countries to learn from the experiences of each other and to cope with the problem on food issue is the most important thing happening during these 6 months of Expo here in Milano. 

Thailand is primarily known for being a tourist destination; differently, which are the business opportunities for the companies?

As mentioned above, with abundant natural resources, innovation and technology in agricultural and food industries as well as a variety of His Majesty initiatives to ensure the sustainability, Thailand has capabilities to feed people around the world. This can be confirmed when you visit the commercial area in Thailand Pavilion where you can experience the readiness of being the Kitchen to the World. In addition, besides the exhibition in Thailand Pavilion and five special events organized during these 6 months of Expo, Thailand Pavilion is now planning business matching (B2B) to provide an opportunity for producers of food products with high quality from Thailand to show their capabilities in serving Italian consumers as well as consumers of other countries around the world.  

Interview by Tribuna Economica