Thailand launches Food Innopolis
Thailand is betting on its agrifood sector, which is among the country’s most important economic drivers. It recorded a 26 billion dollar turnover in 2015 which made up 12.3 percent of total exports and 6.7 percent of Thailand’s GDP. The government is launching Food Innopolis, an innovation and development centre aimed at increasing the value of the country’s crops while promoting the entire value chain. The new food hub was presented to the public at Thaifex-World Food of Asia 2016, the most important food fair in South East Asia, in Bangkok. Deputy Prime Minister Somkid, explaining the Food Innopolis project, pointed out that the research will focus on functional foods to meet specific requirements for the elderly, athletes and patients. Besides developing food ingredients and additives, innovations will also include packaging, information technology and logistics. The government approved a 10 billion baht grant (approx. 2.5 billion euros) in November 2015 to support investment in the food cluster, and fiscal and other incentives.
