THAILAND'S border and transit trade reached 145 billion Baht in January, marking a 2.7% increase from the previous year, Deputy Government Spokesperson Sasikan Watthanachan announced on Sunday.
Exports grew by 3.8%, amounting to 78.037 billion Baht, while imports rose by 1.5% to 67.102 billion Baht, resulting in a trade surplus of 10.935 billion Baht, she added.
“The breakdown of border trade with neighboring countries—Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Cambodia—showed a total trade value of 83.797 billion Baht, a 1.7% increase,” Bernama cited Sasikan saying.
“This included exports worth 50.528 billion Baht (up 0.7%) and imports worth 33.269 billion Baht (up 3.3%), with Thailand achieving a trade surplus of 17.26 billion Baht,” she said.
Among the neighboring countries, Laos led with the highest trade value at 25.228 billion Baht, followed by Malaysia at 24.256 billion Baht, Myanmar at 18.821 billion Baht, and Cambodia at 15.492 billion Baht.
Key export products included diesel (4.209 billion Baht), refined petroleum products (1.622 billion Baht), and other agricultural-industrial products (1.323 billion Baht).
Sasikan noted that the strong start to border and transit trade in early 2025 continued the growth momentum from 2024, particularly with exports to China, which surged by 18.0%.
“The government extends its gratitude to Thai entrepreneurs for their vital role in driving continuous growth in border and transit trade,” Bernama quoted her saying.
“We remain committed to enhancing trade cooperation with neighboring countries and international partners to create economic opportunities for Thai businesses.
“Additionally, we support measures to improve logistics and border trade efficiency.”
However, Sasikan cautioned that Thai-Myanmar border trade could face disruptions in February due to crackdowns on call center operations along the border, which may impact exports of diesel and refined petroleum. – March 2, 2025
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