PM Anutin and Minister Suchat Open Udon Thani World Horticultural Expo 2026
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Natural Resources Minister Suchat Chomklin opened the Udon Thani International Horticultural Expo 2026, the first AIPH-certified world horticultural expo in Thailand's Northeast. The 134-day event showcases 32 international gardens and over one million ornamental plants under a biodiversity and sustainability theme. The leaders also broke ground on a new King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital campus to boost healthcare in upper Isan.
On November 2, 2024, at 6:00 PM, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suchat Chomklin, accompanied by Ministry Permanent Secretary Dr. Rawiwan Phuridech and ministry executives, attended the opening ceremony of the Udon Thani International Horticultural Expo 2026. Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul presided over the ceremony, joined by cabinet ministers, diplomats, international organization representatives, participating country delegates, government and private sector executives, and a large public crowd at the Nong Da Wetland in Udon Thani Province.
The expo operates under the concept "Biodiversity: Connections of Life, Water, and Plants Toward Sustainable Living." The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Department of Agriculture, Udon Thani Province, and network partners aim to showcase biodiversity linking nature, lifestyles, culture, and agricultural technology for sustainable development.
Prime Minister Anutin thanked all sectors for driving the expo and emphasized three key approaches: restoring nature and ecosystems to elevate Udon Thani as a world-class destination; building an economy that increases income for farmers and communities through high-value agriculture and eco-tourism; and creating the future by opening learning spaces in technology, innovation, agricultural science, and environment for youth to drive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Minister Suchat stated the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment fully supports the expo, particularly the management of Nong Da Wetland — the event's heart — developing it into an ecosystem learning center and new green lung for the region, alongside natural resource conservation and biodiversity restoration. He stressed that true development must proceed in balance with nature, including expanding green areas, addressing climate change, and fostering harmonious human-environment relationships to pass on a complete natural heritage.
The Udon Thani International Horticultural Expo 2026 is the first AIPH-certified international horticultural expo in the Northeast, running from November 1, 2024 to March 14, 2025 (134 days). It features 32 international gardens from 17 countries and 2 international organizations, 16 Thai organizational gardens, over 50 ornamental plant display gardens, more than 1 million rotating ornamental flowers, royal tribute activities, Isan identity architecture, and over 200 cultural performances — a major opportunity to showcase Thailand's natural resources, agriculture, and tourism potential to the world.
That same afternoon, Minister Suchat also joined cabinet ministers in the groundbreaking ceremony for the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital and Medical Center and the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Institute, Udon Thani Campus in Kut Chap District, Udon Thani Province, with the Prime Minister presiding — a significant step in...
