Thailand's Minister of Agriculture Takes Action Against Counterfeit Agricultural Products

Strategic Insights -

The Thai Minister of Agriculture is cracking down on fake agricultural products, targeting the sale of frozen durian fruit, which has been falsely claimed as Thai. A new regulation requires importers to attach supporting documents for every shipment, citing concerns over the credibility of Thai products in the global market. This move follows the Ministry's previous announcement of two standards for frozen durian production and inspection. The Minister aims to shift the focus from reactive measures to a proactive approach, ensuring the authenticity of Thai agricultural products.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Thai Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Atthakorn Sirilathayakorn, is taking measures to combat counterfeit agricultural products, including frozen durian, to protect the credibility of Thai products abroad.
  • A new regulation requires importers to attach supporting documents for every shipment of frozen durian to prevent fake products from entering the market.
  • The regulation aims to prevent fraudsters from repackaging imported durian as Thai and selling it as such.
  • The Ministry of Agriculture has previously announced two agricultural product standards for frozen durian: TAS 9046-2017 on good practices for frozen durian production and TAS 9070-2023 on guidelines for inspection and receipt.
  • International trading partners such as China and South Korea require exporters to submit product analysis results for every shipment, including testing for pathogenic microorganisms and heavy metals.
  • The regulation will take effect on February 15, 2025, and is part of a broader effort to raise standards and protect export markets.
  • The Minister of Agriculture emphasizes the importance of shifting from a reactive approach to a proactive approach, creating a transparent verification mechanism to assure buyers and sellers of the authenticity of Thai products.

Statistics:

  • The regulation requires importers to attach supporting documents for every shipment of frozen durian.
  • International trading partners such as China and South Korea require testers for four pathogenic microorganisms, heavy metal cadmium, and Basic Yellow 2 (BY2) in every shipment of frozen durian.
  • The regulation aims to prevent the sale of fake Thai durian, which could negatively impact the credibility of Thai agricultural products abroad.
  • The Ministry of Agriculture has previously announced two agricultural product standards for frozen durian production and inspection.
  • The regulation will take effect on February 15, 2025.

Sources:

  • Thai News Agency, 08 Sep 2025
  • Ministry of Agriculture, Collective Statement on Agricultural Commodity Standards Committee 3/2025