PM Anutin Chairs Mobile Cabinet, Sets Agriculture as National Priority
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul chaired a mobile cabinet meeting in Udon Thani while wearing local Mudmee fabric, using the occasion to declare agricultural policy a national priority. He highlighted the World Flora Expo's opening and ordered the Agriculture Ministry to investigate reports of a cyberattack on European supermarket cold storage systems that allegedly caused massive food spoilage, seeing it as both a risk and opportunity for Thailand's food security ambitions.
At 08:30 on November 3, 2026, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, also serving as Interior Minister, walked with the cabinet from the Moko Hotel in Udon Thani to the Montatip Hall International Convention Center to chair the second official off-site cabinet meeting of 2026. The Prime Minister and ministers wore dark blue Mudmee shirts woven with the distinctive four-heddle technique featuring a diamond pattern, adorned with Mudmee fabric incorporating the province's significant motifs.
Upon arrival, the Prime Minister visited exhibition booths including the Ban Chiang pottery painting group, where he signed a ceramic jar, and the Agricultural Innovation Arts Center booth of the Uan Klom Happy Farm community enterprise, which presented him with a portrait painted in natural colors on paper made from elephant ear plant fibers. He then posed for a group photo with the cabinet, the Udon Thani governor, and governors from the upper northeastern provinces — Loei, Nong Khai, Nong Bua Lamphu, and Bueng Kan — along with state agency representatives.
At 09:00, the Prime Minister opened the meeting, noting Udon Thani's importance and the previous day's opening of the World Flora Expo, which all cabinet ministers attended. The 134-day expo attracts government, private sector, and both Thai and foreign tourists while providing continuous agricultural academic knowledge. He urged ministers and relevant agencies to publicize the event and its knowledge to the public.
The Prime Minister stated he wanted to use the Udon Thani meeting to set agricultural policy as a crucial national agenda item requiring clear goals and full government support. The aim is to transform cheap raw materials into high-value products, turning agriculture into both a food and future energy source while driving the core economy forward simultaneously.
He also referenced unverified morning reports that a European supermarket food retail network suffered a cyberattack raising cold storage temperatures — not shutting them down, but increasing heat — causing massive spoilage and heavy losses. The story appears on social media but lacks verification from mainstream news. He ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to verify the report and assess how vulnerable such systems are to cybercrime. If true, Thailand as an exporter must be vigilant, and new payment systems may be needed since buyers suffering massive losses might not pay, putting operators at risk.
