World Tapioca Conference 2025 THAILAND TAPIOCA NEXT: GO GLOBAL GO TOGETHER “Entering the global market with innovation and sustainability”
Deep underground of over 8 million rai, “tapioca” is not merely an ordinary field crop, but an important economic crop that has been deeply rooted in the Thai way of life and economic system for a long time. Generating income for more than 740,000 farmer households and contributing over 100 billion baht per year to the national economy. With Thai tapioca’s production potential and adherence to international quality standards, Thailand has long been the world’s leading tapioca exporter and has played a significant role in the global supply chain of the tapioca industry.
Behind this success lies the determined operation of the “Department of Foreign Trade” which serves as the primary mechanism for promoting Thai tapioca on the international trade stage. By following the policy of the government and the Ministry of Commerce that focuses on “Increasing trade opportunities, ascending to the global market and creating prospects for Thailand”, alongside the guiding principle of “Made by Thais. Used by Thais. Helping Thais”, a key initiative led by the Minister of Commerce, Mr. Jatuporn Buruspat.
This approach aims to enhance every sector of the Thai tapioca industry, from upstream production to downstream processing, to ensure its sustained competitiveness in the global market. The goal is not only to reflect the unique Thai identity but also to embody the collective effort of all sectors of Thai society in strengthening the nation’s economy for sustainable growth in the global market.
The Thai tapioca industry is currently encountering a multitude of challenges on both the domestic and international side, including plant diseases, the impact of climate change, low yields per rai, and a continuous rise in production costs. Moreover, the industry also faces competition from neighboring countries that have developed stronger production and trade capabilities, as well as face the evolving trends of the global market that value on “sustainability” and “environmental responsibility”. All of these factors collectively affect the competitiveness of the Thai tapioca industry. Therefore, all relevant sectors must collaborate closely to strengthen the supply chain and enhance the Thai tapioca industry’s readiness to adapt to the continually shifting dynamics of the global economy and trade.
In light of these challenges, the Ministry of Commerce, through the Department of Foreign Trade, is organizing the World Tapioca Conference 2025, which is being held for the 7th time this year under the concept of THAILAND TAPIOCA NEXT: GO GLOBAL GO TOGETHER “Entering the World Market with Innovation and Sustainability”, which aims to reaffirm Thailand’s role as a global leader in tapioca production and trade, and to announce its position in driving the Thai tapioca industry from “raw material export” to “value creation” through innovation, modern technology, and sustainable production, ensuring that Thailand remains the preeminent center for tapioca production, processing, trade, and technology in the world.
The Department of Foreign Trade has invited more than 1,000 guests from the Thai and global tapioca industry to join the event, including representatives of foreign government agencies, importers and exporters, government and private sectors, researchers, and tapioca farmers. This event aims to create a platform for exchanging knowledge, experiences, and new ideas that will contribute to the advancement of the Thai tapioca industry, as well as create opportunities for trade negotiations between Thai exporters and importers from around the world.
The highlighted activities include academic seminars by qualified speakers from both domestic and international backgrounds, a signing ceremony for the purchase of tapioca between Thai exporters and foreign importers, business matching activities, an exhibition to present the potential of the Thai tapioca industry comprehensively from upstream, midstream, and downstream, as well as a focus group meeting to discuss specific approaches in depth on issues of enhancing cooperation in the use of tapioca and tapioca products in Thailand, including the processing of Thai tapioca into innovative products. This year, in addition to focusing on the tapioca chips/pellets and tapioca starch product groups, the focus will also be on innovative products processed from tapioca. These products will be a new dimension of value-adding and creating a sustainable difference for Thai tapioca products in the global market.
Those who are interested can attend the event at True Icon Hall, located on the 7th floor of ICONSIAM, on July 30th. We invite everyone to join us in driving Thai tapioca to be the “economic crop of the future” together.
