The American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AMCHAM) joins hands with The U.S. Embassy to present USA Fair 2009-Clean & Green, where top American brands will be displaying and selling their products and services. The annual event, under the theme “Clean & Green”, will be held on 19-22 November 2009 at Royal Paragon Hall on the 5th floor of Siam Paragon Shopping Complex. Well-known model Sirinya Bishop will also attend the event as the fair’s Ambassador for this year, accompanied by the event’s mascot, Mr. Clean & Green Fair Bear.
To celebrate the success of eco-friendly businesses, AMCHAM in association with Amway (Thailand) Limited, American International Assurance Company, Limited – Thailand (AIA Thailand), Coca-Cola (Thailand) Limited, Dow Chemical Thailand Limited, and Ford Sales & Service (Thailand) Co., Ltd. will hold the USA Fair 2009-Clean & Green. Participants will learn about climate control policy as introduced by US president Barack Obama, and many other interesting ‘Clean & Green’ ideas such as an organic farm practicing natural way to control pests and diseases, the process of clean and green chemistry, activities about science and education, green car with a class-leading fuel-efficient technologies, and other environmentally-friendly projects.
Mr. David Carden, AMCHAM President said “This year, we are excited to pursue under the Obama Administration, the U.S. policies energy and environment to advance energy and climate securities to promote economic recovery efforts, accelerate job creation, and drive clean energy manufacturing.”
Mr. Preecha Prakobkit, Managing Director of Amway (Thailand) Limited said “Amway has been an AMCHAM member for 22 years and has been supporting the USA Fair for 4 years in a row. Amway realizes that the fair always offers quality products and activities which benefits both people and society. This idea is really compatible with the policy of Amway, especially the theme of the fair this year ‘Clean and Green’ which helps promote the environmental friendly and corporate social responsibility projects to which Amway also commits. Amway would like to take this great opportunity to present our organic farm practicing natural way to control pests and diseases, no-animal tested products, recycle packages which are all environmental-friendly and consumer-oriented at the same time. Please come and visit us at our organic farm model where visitors could learn about sustainability and environmental friendly farming methods with a lot of souvenirs to giveaway and interesting activities for you to join at Amway booth.”
Mr. Michael Parker, Chief Marketing Officer of American International Assurance Company, Limited – Thailand (AIA Thailand) said, “AIA Thailand has been operating life insurance business in Thailand for more than 70 years. We think of ourselves as innovators but in line with sustainability and longevity. One of AIA Thailand’s core policies is to instill a “Think Green” concept to our people both at work and at home. At work, we engage our people in energy saving and reducing the environmental impact of our business operations, particularly through reduced electricity and paper usage. Our “Operation Green” concept centers on targeting new ways that high technology can result in smarter and more efficient process. The adoption of Imaging and Workflow technology and e-Worksheet are examples of Operation Green projects which save time, office materials and energy.
AIA Thailand also organizes Green Activities by bringing AIA Smile Volunteers, our employee volunteer program, to be Green Ambassadors in reforestation projects. We also invite AIA staff to initiate Green Projects that can better the environment and address climate change through our Be Green with AIA project.”
Mr. Jorge Garduno, General Manager of Coca-Cola (Thailand) Limited said "Coca-Cola is delighted to once again sponsor the USA Fair in support of strong ties between the Kingdom of Thailand and the USA. We're particularly pleased to support the 'Clean and Green' theme of this year's Fair given its fit with our sustainability focus at Coca-Cola. From community water projects to multi-year recycling initiatives, we are committed to making a positive difference in the world by making sustainability part of everything we do."
Dr. Molly Peifang Zhang, Country Manager of Dow Chemical Thailand Limited added "Our 2015 sustainability goals focus on Sustainable Chemistry, Breakthroughs to World Challenges, Energy Efficiency, Addressing Climate Change, Contributing to Community Success, Product Safety Leadership, and Local Protection of Human Health and the Environment. Connecting chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability supports Dow's vision to be to be the largest, most profitable, most respected chemical company in the world. In our booth, we will show how clean and green chemical processes can be and how chemical products are essential to human progress. We will also have a science and education zone with activities and games about science."
Mr. Saroj Kiatfuengfoo, Senior Vice President, Ford Thailand said "Ford is committed to our global vision of sustainable mobility. This is being supported, in part, by Ford's innovative fuel-efficient technologies like our Powershift transmission technology that the Ford Focus TDCi Powershift is equipped with. The six-speed Powershift transmission and commonrail Duratorque engine combine to deliver unmatched fuel economy in its class at 17.8km/l. Additionally, the Focus TDCi Powershift is B5-capable"
Thai-American supermodel Sirinya Bishop has been chosen as this year’s event ambassador with a well-known history of charity work. She has taken part in the Friends of Habitat Build by Habitat for Humanity Thailand by helping to build shelters for those in need. This year, Sirinya will act as the event’s ambassador along side Mr. Clean & Green Fair Bear.
Come and experience the total American lifestyle and take part in a vast number of activities. Shop and enjoy American brand products, have fun with Cartoon Network Live! On Stage – Power of the Omnitrix, taste American food and beverages, and have a blast with your family at USA Fair 2009, held from 19-22 November, at Royal Paragon Hall 3, Siam Paragon Shopping Complex.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Cabinet wants second look at tapioca sale
The cabinet has declined to approve a Commerce Ministry proposal to sell more tapioca in domestic and export markets.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the sale should be approved first by the Tapioca Committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Korbsak Sabhavasu and then proposed to the cabinet.
The government still has 1.6 million tonnes of tapioca chips and 326,180 tonnes of starch that have been in its stockpiles for 10 months. Further delays would result in damage to the quality,the ministry has said.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the sale should be approved first by the Tapioca Committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Korbsak Sabhavasu and then proposed to the cabinet.
The government still has 1.6 million tonnes of tapioca chips and 326,180 tonnes of starch that have been in its stockpiles for 10 months. Further delays would result in damage to the quality,the ministry has said.
"Golden year" for Thai rice exports
Rice exports from Thailand may jump to a record next year on increasing demand from the Philippines, India and Indonesia, says an executive from the country's biggest exporter.
"Unexpected import demand from India and Indonesia will drive the global rice trade higher," said Sarunyu Jeamsinkul, managing director of Asia Golden Rice Ltd. That will be on top of demand from the Philippines, which may need to import around 2.3 million to 3 million tonnes.
"2010 will be a golden year for rice,"he said.
Global production may decline after drought in India slashed monsoon output and storms in the Philippines destroyed at least 1 million tonnes of the crop.Rice, wheat and palm oil hit records last year, sparking concern among policy makers that there may be a food crisis as protests about high prices broke out across the globe.
Strong demand in the global market would drive Thai exports to a record next year, said Rewat Yenchai, an analyst at Agrow Enterprise Ltd. in Bangkok.Thailand would benefit from a decline in global production.
Prices may also return to record levels next year if the Thai government maintains its stockpile level, said Mr Sarunyu.
"We may see rice climb above $1,000 a tonne," he said."There is a strong possibility we will see a rice crisis next year as India faces drought and Indonesia may feel the pinch of El Nino weather."
Thai 100% grade-B white rice, the benchmark regional export price, was set at $541 a tonne last week. The price surged to a record $1,038 in May 2008.
"Still, if the Thai government sells inventories under government-togovernment contracts at friendly prices,we could see the price in the range of $600 to $700," Mr Sarunyu said.
Thai prices are unlikely to hit a record next year because of limited purchasing power and the high level of stockpiles held by the government, Mr Rewat said.
Thailand's stockpiles at the end of the 2008-09 marketing year on Sept 30 were 3.12 million tonnes, according to US Department of Agriculture figures.Inventories would rise to 3.52 million tonnes next year, the USDA estimated.
Thai rice exports would approach a record 10 million tonnes in 2010 on higher African demand and a lack of shipments from India, Chookiat Ophaswongse, the president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said last month.Production may climb to 35 million tonnes, from an earlier estimate of 32 million tonnes, he said last week
The country's exports this year may total 8.3 million tonnes, lower than the association's target of 9 million, as Thai prices are less competitive than rivals and buyers built up stockpiles after prices jumped last year, Mr Sarunyu said.
Asia Golden, which was set up in 1999 by a group of traders and millers, may export up to 1.6 million tonnes of rice next year, up 23% from a planned 1.3 million this year, he added.
The Philippines held its first tender for 2010 supplies last week, a month earlier than usual, and is buying at least 850,000 tonnes of rice in two tenders this year. The country imported a record 2.4 million tonnes in 2008.
India may buy as much as 3 million tonnes next year and become a net importer for the first time in 21 years. Indonesia, the world's third-largest producer, may shelve plans to export 2 million tonnes of milled rice next year if dry weather causes production to miss forecasts, the state food company Bulog said on Oct 6.
"Unexpected import demand from India and Indonesia will drive the global rice trade higher," said Sarunyu Jeamsinkul, managing director of Asia Golden Rice Ltd. That will be on top of demand from the Philippines, which may need to import around 2.3 million to 3 million tonnes.
"2010 will be a golden year for rice,"he said.
Global production may decline after drought in India slashed monsoon output and storms in the Philippines destroyed at least 1 million tonnes of the crop.Rice, wheat and palm oil hit records last year, sparking concern among policy makers that there may be a food crisis as protests about high prices broke out across the globe.
Strong demand in the global market would drive Thai exports to a record next year, said Rewat Yenchai, an analyst at Agrow Enterprise Ltd. in Bangkok.Thailand would benefit from a decline in global production.
Prices may also return to record levels next year if the Thai government maintains its stockpile level, said Mr Sarunyu.
"We may see rice climb above $1,000 a tonne," he said."There is a strong possibility we will see a rice crisis next year as India faces drought and Indonesia may feel the pinch of El Nino weather."
Thai 100% grade-B white rice, the benchmark regional export price, was set at $541 a tonne last week. The price surged to a record $1,038 in May 2008.
"Still, if the Thai government sells inventories under government-togovernment contracts at friendly prices,we could see the price in the range of $600 to $700," Mr Sarunyu said.
Thai prices are unlikely to hit a record next year because of limited purchasing power and the high level of stockpiles held by the government, Mr Rewat said.
Thailand's stockpiles at the end of the 2008-09 marketing year on Sept 30 were 3.12 million tonnes, according to US Department of Agriculture figures.Inventories would rise to 3.52 million tonnes next year, the USDA estimated.
Thai rice exports would approach a record 10 million tonnes in 2010 on higher African demand and a lack of shipments from India, Chookiat Ophaswongse, the president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said last month.Production may climb to 35 million tonnes, from an earlier estimate of 32 million tonnes, he said last week
The country's exports this year may total 8.3 million tonnes, lower than the association's target of 9 million, as Thai prices are less competitive than rivals and buyers built up stockpiles after prices jumped last year, Mr Sarunyu said.
Asia Golden, which was set up in 1999 by a group of traders and millers, may export up to 1.6 million tonnes of rice next year, up 23% from a planned 1.3 million this year, he added.
The Philippines held its first tender for 2010 supplies last week, a month earlier than usual, and is buying at least 850,000 tonnes of rice in two tenders this year. The country imported a record 2.4 million tonnes in 2008.
India may buy as much as 3 million tonnes next year and become a net importer for the first time in 21 years. Indonesia, the world's third-largest producer, may shelve plans to export 2 million tonnes of milled rice next year if dry weather causes production to miss forecasts, the state food company Bulog said on Oct 6.
Tapioca sale re-negotiated
The Commerce Ministry will ask for cabinet approval to sell 200,000 tonnes of tapioca starch to China in a governmentto-government deal at a re-negotiated price of 8,000 baht a tonne, says Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai.
The ministry negotiated a higher price from the earlier agreed price of 7,950 baht a tonne. The cabinet blocked the initial deal because the government could get a better price by selling in the domestic market.
"The Foreign Trade Department will propose details for the cabinet's consideration today," she said.
"We didn't sell tapioca starch at prices below the minimum target because members of a sub-committee on the releasing of farm products set the selling price at 7,600 baht a tonne."
Deputy Prime Minister Korbsak Sabhavasu had told the ministry to renegotiate with its Chinese counterparts,as the proposed price was lower than the 8,300 baht per tonne paid by Thai firms to buy government stocks.
Mrs Porntiva said the selling price was not very high but was within the approved selling range of 7,600 to 8,100 baht a tonne. The Thai-Chinese deal will help strengthen bilateral relations and increase Thailand's share of the global tapioca starch market in the long term, she said.
In the government's rice-supporting scheme, Ms Porntiva said 632 rice millers in 57 provinces had registered to act as buyers for paddy entering the government's option plan.
About 60 millers in 20 provinces where the paddy harvest has begun are already active in the scheme.
The ministry negotiated a higher price from the earlier agreed price of 7,950 baht a tonne. The cabinet blocked the initial deal because the government could get a better price by selling in the domestic market.
"The Foreign Trade Department will propose details for the cabinet's consideration today," she said.
"We didn't sell tapioca starch at prices below the minimum target because members of a sub-committee on the releasing of farm products set the selling price at 7,600 baht a tonne."
Deputy Prime Minister Korbsak Sabhavasu had told the ministry to renegotiate with its Chinese counterparts,as the proposed price was lower than the 8,300 baht per tonne paid by Thai firms to buy government stocks.
Mrs Porntiva said the selling price was not very high but was within the approved selling range of 7,600 to 8,100 baht a tonne. The Thai-Chinese deal will help strengthen bilateral relations and increase Thailand's share of the global tapioca starch market in the long term, she said.
In the government's rice-supporting scheme, Ms Porntiva said 632 rice millers in 57 provinces had registered to act as buyers for paddy entering the government's option plan.
About 60 millers in 20 provinces where the paddy harvest has begun are already active in the scheme.
India government to import rice
India's government plans to import 30,000 tonnes of rice to offset an expected production shortfall following the worst monsoon in nearly four decades, a report said Saturday.
The move comes as the US Department of Agriculture has forecast India's rice output will fall between 15 million and 17 million tonnes in the crop year from October 2009 to September 2010 following two years of bumper harvests.
India is the world's second-largest rice producer. The country of nearly 1.2 billion people produced a record 99.15 million tonnes of rice last year.
The government has asked three stateowned trading firms, MMTC, STC and PEC, to import 10,000 tonnes of rice each and sell it in the market, the Press Trust of India said.
"The tender to import rice is under the government instruction," Sanjiv Batra, chairman of MMTC, told the news agency.
An official of another publicly owned trading company STC said the rice shipments were likely to arrive in the country in November and December.
As of now, the three state-run trading firms have been advised to import only 10,000 tonnes each, added the STC official, who was not identified.
Earlier this week, the Press Trust of India reported private traders had already imported 400,000 tonnes of rice and the figure was expected to rise.
Some experts have said India could buy up to three million tonnes of rice on world markets.
The government has waived customs duty on rice imports of 70% until September 2010. The forecast rice shortfall comes after India's driest monsoon since 1972, which affected most of the ricesowing areas of the country and was followed by devastating floods.
This year, the government says the rice-sowing area has fallen by six million hectares to 32.9 million hectares and the rice crop is expected to be reduced.
Analysts say India could become a net purchaser of rice for the first time in two decades as a result of the bad weather. Rice prices in the domestic market have soared by 25% in the last four months on supply worries.
India still has comfortable buffer stocks of 14.5 million tonnes, far above its buffer target of 5.2 million tonnes, according to local media reports.
The move comes as the US Department of Agriculture has forecast India's rice output will fall between 15 million and 17 million tonnes in the crop year from October 2009 to September 2010 following two years of bumper harvests.
India is the world's second-largest rice producer. The country of nearly 1.2 billion people produced a record 99.15 million tonnes of rice last year.
The government has asked three stateowned trading firms, MMTC, STC and PEC, to import 10,000 tonnes of rice each and sell it in the market, the Press Trust of India said.
"The tender to import rice is under the government instruction," Sanjiv Batra, chairman of MMTC, told the news agency.
An official of another publicly owned trading company STC said the rice shipments were likely to arrive in the country in November and December.
As of now, the three state-run trading firms have been advised to import only 10,000 tonnes each, added the STC official, who was not identified.
Earlier this week, the Press Trust of India reported private traders had already imported 400,000 tonnes of rice and the figure was expected to rise.
Some experts have said India could buy up to three million tonnes of rice on world markets.
The government has waived customs duty on rice imports of 70% until September 2010. The forecast rice shortfall comes after India's driest monsoon since 1972, which affected most of the ricesowing areas of the country and was followed by devastating floods.
This year, the government says the rice-sowing area has fallen by six million hectares to 32.9 million hectares and the rice crop is expected to be reduced.
Analysts say India could become a net purchaser of rice for the first time in two decades as a result of the bad weather. Rice prices in the domestic market have soared by 25% in the last four months on supply worries.
India still has comfortable buffer stocks of 14.5 million tonnes, far above its buffer target of 5.2 million tonnes, according to local media reports.
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