The Internal Trade Department under the Commerce Ministry has teamed up with hypermarkets, supermarkets and department stores to proactively manage the distribution of seasonal fruits, with the aim of reaching a target of 100,000 tonnes this year.
Most recently, they distributed 54,000 tonnes of fruits worth 2.2 billion baht via Makro cash and carry stores and Lotus's hypermarkets.
In a move to prepare for the upcoming annual fruit season, Wattanasak Sur-iam, director-general of the Internal Trade Department, said yesterday the output to be released to the market from this year's harvest was estimated to reach no less than 6.78 million tonnes, an increase of 3% from 2022.
The department has collaborated with hypermarkets and supermarkets such as Lotus's, Makro, Gourmet Market and Thai Watsadu, which have provided space to distribute fruits to consumers during the upcoming season.
The production of various fruits is forecast to increase, including durians (by 18%), mangosteens (by 32%), longans (by 1%), and rambutans (by 7%).
However, the production of lychees and mangoes is expected to decrease by 9% and 4%, respectively, due to unfavourable weather conditions.
According to Mr Wattanasak, Makro and Lotus's, in particular, have given their full support to the Internal Trade Department's policy to support farmers' production during the upcoming season by setting a target to collectively purchase over 54,000 tonnes of fruits this year.
They plan to distribute the fruits through more than 2,800 branches nationwide and online channels, which is expected to help generate more than 2.2 billion baht's worth of income for farmers.
Jiraporn Laoharattanaviboon, category director of fresh food at Lotus's, said it plans to purchase about 18,000 tonnes of fruits from farmers throughout the year, an increase of 20% over 2022. The firm plans to distribute the produce via all of its branches nationwide and online channels.
The collaboration is expected to benefit farmers by ensuring a steady market for their products and providing consumers with access to quality fruits, she said.
Somnuk Yoddumnern, director of commercial fresh food at Makro, said from the expectation of increased fruit production compared to the previous year, such as durians, mangosteens, longans and rambutans, both Makro and Lotus's have offered channels for distributing products to farmers in large quantities each year.
This year, Makro plans to purchase over 36,000 tonnes of seasonal fruits, an increase of 20% from 2022 and plans to organise sales promotion programmes every month under the concept of "Amazing Thai Taste" from April to August to stimulate continuous consumption by all consumer groups, especially restaurant operators who need ingredients for creating dishes.