Daily Trust: What can Nigeria learn from your country to develop its agriculture now that the government is looking towards the sector to revive the economy?
Ambassador Wattana Kunwongse: Agriculture has been one of the main drivers of Thailand’s economy for a very long time while rice is the main engine of the agriculture sector. The sector in Thailand is competitive, diversified and right now, there is new technology and innovation. We have passed the stage of agricultural development based on extensive food production. We had arable land and unskilled labour before 1960. Now the arable land is less and very limited, skilled labour has turned towards the industrial sector. We don’t have much labour in agriculture. That is why we have to shift our policy from extensive development in the agricultural sector to intension based on technology and scientific research. Thailand and Nigeria can share experiences. We are ready to provide technical assistance to Nigeria in order to industrialise its agricultural sector based on innovation and technology so that food production can meet the demands and even enable export to other countries.
DT: Thailand exports rice every year and the famous Thai Rice has become a household name in Nigeria. How did the country achieve this feat?
Amb. Kunwongse: Rice production in Thailand is as old as the history of the country because the ancient Thai people located themselves on the banks of the Chao Phraya River which is one of the main rivers of Southeast Asia. The climate is very conducive for rice growing. It had been the main source of living for the people since the establishment of the Thai community in that area.
Since 1960s, rice production in Thailand has been growing more than the population. There were about 13million people (one third of the active population) working on rice fields. But after 1980s, Thailand started economic reforms, especially in agriculture. The reforms placed the country among the major exporters of rice in the world and we are determined to maintain that position. At the moment, the rice sector only contributes about 1.5% (US$ 5 billion) to the country’s GDP, even though the production level is still high, because the economy is now industry based.
DT: Is there any collaboration between Nigeria and Thailand especially on agriculture and food production?
Amb. Kunwongse: When I first got here, I came to know about the economic reform policy of the Nigerian government from the embassy here. We are happy to hear that because to be able to respond to the demands of people on rice consumption, you need not to import rice from the other countries but grow rice yourself. This is the main message that we got from the government of Nigeria, and we are ready to support the policy. Thailand is at the stage of growing rice using high technology. In this area, Thailand is ready to render any kind of scientific support to help the country respond to the growing demands of rice consumption.
Currently, we offer fellowship awards to government officers, including researchers in mechanised rice milling and processing. The ‘train the trainers programme’ was to introduce them to new technology. We have been doing that for the past three years. Many recipients of this award cut across Nigerian states of Niger, Kastina, Benue, Anambra, Ogun, the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
DT: What would you say about bilateral relations between Nigeria and Thailand?
Amb. Kunwongse: Thailand was among the first ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries that established bilateral relations with Nigeria. Diplomatic cooperation was established in 1962. We opened our first mission in Lagos before moving to Abuja 10 years ago. Bilateral relations between the two countries have been diversified, though we still have many areas to improve upon.
Nigeria has a large number of natural resources and has nearly everything that Thailand needs for its industrial sector. We feel delighted that President MuhammaduBuhari is determined to diversify the economy. In the light of this development, Thailand has many things to provide to assist Nigeria to push the policy forward.
DT: How would you assess trade ties between the two countries?
Amb. Kunwongse: Nigeria is among Thailand’s major trading partners in Africa. Rice is the main item of our trading but recently, due to the policy of the Nigerian government to move from rice importer to a rice growing country, the export of rice from Thailand to Nigeria has been declining. We understand the situation very well and we try to diversify the bilateral trade items. Now, rice is not our main export to Nigeria anymore. The exports now include machinery, agricultural equipment, management and logistics services. This is one of my missions here-to cooperate with the Nigerian government, scientific institutes and governors of states to explore new opportunities in our trade cooperation.
The trade volume decreased a couple of years ago because of the decline in rice export to Nigeria. In 2015, Thailand’s export to Nigeria was about $500million. In 2016, it decreased further. But we have diversified our exports to Nigeria in line with the economic recovery and growth plan of the Nigerian government.
DT: How would you describe your stay in Nigeria since you were posted here?
Amb. Kunwongse: After presenting my credentials to President MuhammaduBuhari, I will visit as many states as possible to get acquainted to the people. Cross River is one of my priorities because there is an ongoing agricultural project by Thai businessmen there. The Nigerian people are very hardworking and very welcoming to foreigners. They have good education unlike some countries that are not open to foreigners. It is not difficult for me to work with the Nigerian people in different sectors. This is good for our cooperation because it is easy for me to relate with Nigerians.
DT: What is the population of Nigerians in Thailand?
Amb. Kunwongse: There are about 4,000 Nigerians in Thailand. The latest Nigerian community that is growing very fast is in a province outside the capital Bangkok. The province produces gemstone. I learnt that Nigeria has high deposits of gemstone. That is why Nigerian entrepreneurs established a business community there.
