Background                                                                                                                                     close

      The food industry, with the average growth rate of 13 % per year, is one of the main industries of Thailand which significantly contribute to the economic development of the country. The fruit and vegetable industry, particularly fruit and vegetable juices and processed fruits, is an industry that can generate a sizable income for the country. In 2003, the export value of the fruit and vegetable juice industry was BH 8,075,058,201 while the processed fruit industry earned BH 7,200 billion. However, SMEs in the fruit and vegetable industry have encountered a number of problems, e.g. investment capital, access to technology, production process, marketing, shortage of machinery, material losses during the processing line, etc. The solutions to these problems require the supports from the public and private sectors; otherwise, SMEs in the fruit and vegetable sector are not able to be in a position to vie with both local and international markets.

      The above-mentioned problems have been confirmed by the conference and the seminar on food cluster development and demand of SMEs in the food industry and the Government's supports, respectively, and the study on the problems in Thai food industry and the application of science and technology to enhance its potentiality. Based on TISTR's competency plus 40-year experience in doing research and development work on food production technology, TISTR had decided to request for the technical and financial assistance from German Development Cooperation (GTZ) to implement the Promotion of Technological Advisory Services to Enhance Competitive Production Technology and Processes in the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Project. This project, with the implementation period of 2 years commencing from January 2005 to December 2006, intends to enhance the competitiveness of SMEs in the fruit and vegetable industry through the better access to technological advisory and information services. These services will cover designs of production line and machinery, development of product quality, and increase of production efficiency for raising the export values. In addition, the information services related to the local and international fruit and vegetable industrial issues are provided as well.

          The expertise of TISTR plus the resource persons of GTZ are mobilized to provide the following services.

1. Technological Advisory/Consultancy Services. The target group of these services includes SMEs in five fruit and vegetable sub-sectors – fruit juice, vegetable juice, dehydrated fruits, partially processed fresh fruits and vegetables. The services are delivered through both the network of service providers and the project team, which consists of researchers and engineers in various fields such as food technology, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. Furthermore, in a particular case, there is an international expert joining the project team to provide solutions to SMEs. The advisory/consultancy services will cover:

  • Development of production technology and processes,
  • Machinery development for producing fruit and vegetable products,
  • Design of floor plan and layout and production line in the fruit and vegetable industry,
  • Setting up of GMP and HACCP systems for the fruit and vegetable industry,
  • Waste utilization,
  • Environmental management, etc.

2. Information Services. The project will provide information services through the project website , monthly newsletter, and calls. The databases on the fruit and vegetable sector and other information which is useful for the operators in the fruit and vegetable industry will be inserted in the project website.

 
 

Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR)
Food Technology Department
35 Technopolis, Klong 5, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 10120 Thailland
Tel.: (662) 577-9000
Fax : (662) 577-9009, 577-9128

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