JEDDAH, 10 May 2005 — There has been a 40 percent jump in the volume of trade between Saudi Arabia and Thailand, with the figure for 2004 reaching $2.3 billion over the previous year, according to the top official at Thai Trade Center (TTC) of the Thai Consulate General.
“The bilateral trade remains in favor of the Kingdom, as our imports from the Kingdom outweigh our exports,” Mongkol Somkanae, consul (commercial) and director at the TTC, told Arab News on Saturday night on the sidelines of a Thai food festival at Jeddah InterContinental Hotel which he opened.
Thai imports from the Kingdom are mostly of oil, chemicals and fertilizers, while its exports to this part of the world include cars and auto parts, and consumer goods like refrigerators, air conditioners, and washing machines.
Thailand has also been taking part in various trade exhibitions in the Kingdom, the upcoming one being the food expo in Riyadh in which nine of its companies will be represented. “This is a highly competitive market with so many countries offering their products and services,” Somkanae said, adding that Thailand has become one of the largest food producing and exporting countries over the last 10 years.