Issue07 : 07 July 2014

The Thai Office of Cane and Sugar Board (OSCB), in conjunction with the Ministry of Industry, is organising a gala dinner Asian Sugar Night at the Plaza Athénée, Bangkok on July 22 to celebrate the success of the Thai sugar industry.

For the second consecutive year, Thailand has broken all records for sugar cane and sugar production. From 2013/14, Thai farmers produced 103.66 million tonnes of sugarcane and 11.29 million tonnes of sugar, Dr. Witoon Simachokedee, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Industry of Thailand, said in announcing the gala night. Thailand now ranks second in terms of sugar exports and is also the fourth largest sugar producer in the world.

The gala dinner is part of the fifth Kingsman Asia Pacific Sugar Conference, a world renowned academic and business conference on the sugar industry, which is held from July 22 to 23. All conference delegates are invited to the Asian Sugar Night.

For more information, visit http://events.platts.com/sugarthailand.

Issue07 : 07 July 2014

Thai animated short film Nine and its two animators Chawalit Kaewmanee and Wanichaya Phraejunya took away the Director, Short Film and Art Direction awards at Singapore’s 2014 Apollo Award Ceremony.

Based on award-winning Thai graphic novel Nine Lives by Songsin Tiewsomboon, Nine is the story of a cat who sells his soul to a demon in exchange for immortality. The animation produced by the Monk Studios under executive producer Juck Somsaman had previously received awards from many festivals.

The 2014 Apollo Award ceremony took place at the Mariana Bay Sands, Singapore on June 18. Awards are handed out for the best production and post-production artists in the Asia-Pacific region.

Issue07 : 07 July 2014

Held at the Crystal Design Centre, Bangkok from June 20 to 22, the DEmark Show 2014 marked the second round of the 7th DEmark Award competition.

Organised by the DITP and the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP), this year’s contest is under the theme of connectivity and creativity. The main aims are to encourage Thai product designers to increase their know-how and to promote Thai products on the international stage, M.L. Kathathong Thongyai, the director of the Office of Product Value Development said at the event.

The announcement of the DEmark Award 2014 winners will be made at the BIG&BIH Fair on October 19 at BITEC, Bang Na, Bangkok. The recipients of the DEmark Award 2014 will be selected to challenge for the G-mark Award at the Good Design Exhibition organised by JDP from October 31 to November 4 in Tokyo.

To check out DEmark winners and receive latest news, please visit http://www.demarkaward.net

Issue07 : 07 July 2014

Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce will host the Organic & Natural Expo 2014 in the Plenary Hall, Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, Bangkok from July 24 to 27. The exhibition will feature organic and natural products from 200 Thai exhibitors, representing the country’s organic entrepreneurs, as well as workshops and other activities.

An Organic Symposium will be held in the Ballroom of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre from 8.30am to 5pm. This will serve as a forum for exchanging views and sharing experiences on agriculture organic.

For further information, please visit http://www.organicnaturalexpo.com/ or call +66 2 507 6936.

Issue07 : 07 July 2014

Chinese clothes brand, KASEDI, was awarded the Potential Products of South Asia prize on June 9 by Chamaiporn Chuecharoen, commercial consul for Thailand in Kunming at the 22nd Kunming Fair.

Upon receiving the award, KASEDI’s owner and the vice-president of Winnan Laisamaoii, Hu Fa Pei said that the brand is infused with South and Southeast Asian’s culture and fine arts, especially Thailand’s unique culture. KASEDI uses Thailand as the production and designing base.

The 22nd Kunming Fair was held from June 6 to 10 under the theme of Inter-connectivity Cooperation and Win-win, alongside the parallel 2nd China-South Asia Expo.

Issue06 : 23 June 2014

The DITP, in conjunction with Charoen Pokphand Food (CPF) and the private sector, has responded to rising concerns over the abuse of labour rights in Thai fisheries – particularly in the prawn industry, where Thailand is a major exporter.

“The DITP has given orders to Thai Commercial Attachés over the globe to talk with major importers of Thai prawns – to inform them that Thailand is not neglecting this issue. Both private and governmental sectors in Thailand are determined to correct the current situation,” said Nuntawan Sakuntanaga, the director general of the DITP this month.

In the short-term, the DITP will strictly enforce employment laws while maintaining quality produce. In the medium- and long-term, the DITP will promote fair trade activities in Thailand. The government is aiming to collaborate with fair trade organisations such as Fairtrade International (FLO) and the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) to establish a Thai Fair Trade Community. CPF, the largest exporter of Thai prawns, has announced plans to buy all of its fishmeal from certified suppliers by 2015.