Thailand Sets Up Four Task Forces to Boost Economy

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supachai Suthammapun chaired the first meeting on August 10, 2025, of a subcommittee focused on trade, tourism, and community economic development at Government House's Santisuk Maitri Building. The meeting included Culture Minister Sabida Thaisert, Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Panjcharoenvarakul, and advisors Virasakdi Khovasuratana and Kopsak Phutrakagun, along with representatives from public agencies, the private sector, and experts.

Supachai outlined the committee's mandate to cover trade and services across tourism, wellness, creative economy, agriculture, food security, and retail and international commerce. She announced the establishment of four specialized working groups: (1) Creative Economy and Visitor Economy, chaired by Virasakdi, focusing on leveraging Thailand's cultural capital and creating value from visitors; (2) Agriculture, Food Security, and High-Value Farming, led by Dr. Kopsak, aimed at upgrading the agricultural sector throughout the supply chain; (3) Community Economy and SMEs, also under Dr. Kopsak's leadership, designed to support entrepreneurs from startup to scale-up stages; and (4) International Trade, chaired by Virasakdi, targeting trade balance, market expansion, and FTA utilization.

Supachai emphasized that all four groups will pursue "Quick Big Wins" achieving results within 6 months to 1 year through regulatory review and streamlining, without requiring large budget allocations, coupled with long-term structural improvements for the 2–4 year horizon. The working groups will operate in coordination with clear ownership and targets before presenting recommendations to the subcommittee and the public-private economic problem-solving committee. Virasakdi noted that efforts will seek new opportunities for creative economy and visitor economy sectors.