Ms. Sunantha Kangwalakulkij, Director-General of the Department of International Trade Promotion, revealed that Thailand has advantages in the food industry, from the variety of raw materials, the abundance of natural resources, the unique food culture, and the ability of Thai entrepreneurs to develop and adapt to the global market. With these strengths, the government has continuously driven the “Thai Kitchen to the World Kitchen” policy to elevate the Thai food industry to be recognized internationally and to promote Thailand as a regional food hub. As for the Department of International Trade Promotion, which is the main agency driving Thai trade to the world market, it has carried out more than 700 activities to support Thai entrepreneurs, with a target to create a total trade value of more than 92 billion baht and assist more than 260,000 entrepreneurs. There are 58 trade ambassadors around the world working proactively and closely monitoring the trade situation. In addition, the Thai SELECT project, which has 1,779 locations worldwide, has been upgraded by adjusting the certification criteria to a star system using the orchid symbol.

“THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA is an important mechanism to drive the mission of the department. By providing an opportunity for Thai entrepreneurs to showcase their potential, negotiate business deals, and learn about global industry trends, the event will feature exhibitions of new products, technologies, and innovations, along with educational activities, workshops, and international competitions, which will help increase Thailand’s competitiveness on the world stage,” said Ms. Sunantha.

THAIFEX - ANUGA ASIA 2025 has received a very good response and has received more attention than the previous year, with a total of 3,233 exhibitors in 6,205 booths from Thailand and over 56 countries worldwide, exhibiting a complete range of products, including beverages, ready-to-eat foods, food technology, frozen foods, vegetables and fruits, meat, rice, seafood, snacks, and snacks. It is expected that there will be more than 90,000 trade visitors from around the world throughout the 5 days, with an estimated value of immediate purchases and purchases within 1 year totaling over 98 billion baht.

“With the cooperation of both domestic and international partners such as the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Koelnmesse, Germany, THAIFEX - ANUGA ASIA 2025 will be more than just a trade exhibition, but will be a center for regional business cooperation. and is an important force in driving the Thai economy towards stability and sustainability in the future,” said Ms. Sunantha.

Dr. Kritsana Wachikrailas, Vice Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said that THAIFEX - ANUGA ASIA is an important platform that provides opportunities for Thai entrepreneurs to expand their food and beverage markets to the international stage. Currently, Thailand ranks 12th in the world in terms of food exports, and in 2025, food exports are expected to reach 1,750,000 million baht, an increase of 6.8 percent from the previous year. This is in line with the “Thai Kitchen to the World Kitchen” policy, which aims to promote Thailand as the world’s food export hub. As the world’s 4th largest food industry trade fair, THAIFEX - ANUGA ASIA plays an important role in driving Thailand’s food and beverage businesses, including SME entrepreneurs, start-ups, and large companies, to connect with importers, buyers, and business partners from around the world. This year, it is expected that 1,184 Thai entrepreneurs will participate, of which more than 500 are SME entrepreneurs, reflecting Thailand’s potential in product development and international market expansion. There are also more than 2,000 international entrepreneurs from various regions, such as East Asia, ASEAN, Europe, the United States, Latin America, and Africa.

This year, THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA 2025 focuses on connecting Thai entrepreneurs with megatrends in the food and beverage industry, such as Plant-Based, Sustainable Products, Functional Foods, and organic agricultural products, which are categories that are gaining popularity in the European and Chinese markets. Entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to present new product innovations that meet the rapidly changing needs of consumers around the world, and can be effectively expanded into the international market.

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Thai Union Group PCL reported a 10.3% decline in sales to THB 29.8 billion for the first quarter of the year, due to a 6.9% decline in organic sales growth, softer Ambient, Frozen and Value-added categories, and a stronger Thai Baht against key currencies. Continued cost discipline helped maintain a healthy balance sheet, with the Group’s Gross Profit Margin rising to 18.8% - a record for the first quarter. In Q1 2025, net profit, excluding transformation costs associated with the implementation of Strategy 2030 – Thai Union’s bold roadmap to deliver strong growth and transform the Group into the world’s leading marine health and nutrition company, increased by 8.9% year-on-year to THB 1.3 billion. While the reported net profit was reported at THB 1 billion. Thai Union maintained a solid net-debt-to-equity ratio at a healthy 1.0x. “Despite a challenging macro backdrop, we continued to strengthen our core businesses, invest for long-term growth and deliver healthy profitability,” said Thiraphong Chansiri, CEO of Thai Union Group. “When we embarked on our transformation journey, we knew increasing our agility, efficiency and speed was essential. In today’s world that is never more true. We have laid solid foundations, which are now serving us well and delivering value which will only increase further in the future.” The PetCare business continued to grow in the first quarter, with sales increasing 5.5% year-on-year to THB 4.2 billion while its gross profit margin was 24.5%. Ambient sales declined by 14.0% to THB 14.7 billion from a year earlier due to a high baseline last year with exceptional demand from the Middle East, and a decline in private label sales across Europe as customers delayed purchases amid rising fish prices. The GPM for Ambient stood at 19.4%. For the Frozen business, sales were 12.2% lower year-on-year at THB 8.4 billion because of softer shrimp sales impacted by an exceptional increase in shrimp prices in the U.S. Frozen GPM improved to 12.4% from 11.8% a year earlier. Sales for the Value-added decreased 3.1% year-on-year to THB 2.4 billion. With the global business environment remaining volatile, Thai Union continues to closely monitor and assess the potential impact on the Group if the U.S. Government implements the reciprocal tariffs rates. Thai Union has anticipated the tariff changes and proactively built-up inventory across all categories in the U.S., with 4-6 months of sales in finished goods currently in the market, mitigating short-term risk. The Group continues to leverage its global processing and sourcing footprint to minimize potential disruption from the tariffs. With 15 processing facilities in 13 countries, such as Ghana, Seychelles, Poland, USA, and Vietnam. Thai Union is well-positioned to react to any potential developments in the tariff environment. In the first quarter, the Japan Credit Rating Agency, Ltd. (JCR) affirmed Thai Union’s foreign currency issuer credit rating at A with a stable outlook due to its strong brand power and high earnings stability. The credit rating is the same level as the sovereign credit rating of Thailand from JCR. The local currency long-term issuer credit rating by JCR was also assigned at A with a stable outlook. In line with our commitment to sustainability, Thai Union has secured a landmark USD 150 million Blue Loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the first-ever Blue Loan by the multilateral bank to a seafood company in Thailand. Proceeds will be used to scale Thai Union’s sustainable shrimp procurement in Thailand – a key pillar of its SeaChange? 2030 global sustainability strategy.

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