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SYDNEY, May 27 - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra opened the 'Thailand: Kitchen to the World' event in Australia to promote the Thai food industry while encouraging more Thai investment in that country.
The premier is visiting Australia from May 26 to 29 as a guest of the Australian Government and as part of activities celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between both nations.
Ms Yingluck earlier today met with 60 Thai businesspeople in Sydney to discuss and exchange ideas on trade and investment, as well as guidelines on how to promote Thai products in the Australian market.
Before presiding the ceremony, the prime minister provided a cooking demonstration on a Thai spicy salad which was well received by Australian media.
She gave a speech on her government's policy to promote "Thai Kitchen to the World," affirming Thailand as a major food exporting country that can contribute to food security under changing world condition, in which global warming and natural disasters may lead to food shortages.
According to Ms Yingluck, Thailand earns over US$20 billion from exporting food and is one of the world's leading rice exporters, while Australia is one of Thailand's main rice buyers at over 110,000 tonnes/year, with a growth rate of 5-10 percent annually.
She noted her hope that Thai food will remain listed as one of Australians' favourite cuisines, as it has consistently been ranked in the top-five in past years as popular food in the country.
The Thai government's "Thailand: Kitchen to the World" project aims to promote Thai food products, create awareness of food security concerns, and produce high-quality foods complying with international standards at competitive prices, with strategies covering the whole process from finding materials to add product value and aid distribution.
The Yingluck administration's main strategies include (1) expanding agriculture and food business, (2) adding value to agricultural produce with high-technology production processes, (3) supporting cooperation at regional and international levels, and (4) supporting Thai investments abroad, especially in building a network of Thai restaurant overseas.
The Commerce Ministry has worked on such strategies in many countries, including Australia, in order for Thai cuisine to be well known through Thai restaurants and department stores selling Thai food products worldwide, the premier said.
On Sunday afternoon local time, the prime minister visited Thai restaurants and Thai food importers at a Thai town area on Campbell Rd in Sydney. She will then fly to Canberra afterwards. (MCOT online news)
-- TNA 2012-05-27
