BANGKOK: Thailand’s exports of instant noodles soared in the first quarter of this year, especially in Southeast Asia, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported, quoting the Department of Trade Negotiations.
Director-general of the department Auramon Supthaweethum said the pandemic caused people to stay home and thus increasingly demand dried and instant food that could be stored for a long period.
Auramon said Thailand’s instant noodle exports grew by 11% year-on-year in the first quarter and their export value amounted to US$57.8 mil.
Southeast Asia was the biggest market, consuming 54.8% of all the exports.
Thailand exported instant noodles worth US$31.7 mil to Southeast Asian nations during the period. The value increased by 27.3% year-on-year.
Cambodia was the biggest Southeast Asian market, consuming half the exports to the region, followed by Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.
The second biggest market was the Netherlands that bought 9.2% of all Thai instant noodle exports, followed by the United States (6.6%), Australia (5.1%) and France (3.1%).
Last year Thailand was the third biggest exporter of processed noodles after China and South Korea.
Auramon said Southeast Asia was an important market for instant noodles and deserved serious consideration because of its huge population.
According to her, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia were among the top 15 countries in terms of instant noodle consumption.
Last year, Thailand’s instant noodle exports to Southeast Asian nations were valued at US$119.35 mil, growing by 31% from 2018. — May 12, 2020, Bernama
