Thailand Eyes 1 Million Tons of Japanese Banana Market Share
Thailand's commerce minister is targeting a larger share of Japan's banana market, which imports around 1 million tons annually, mostly from ASEAN countries, after monitoring Thai agricultural products' growing popularity with Japanese cons
Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthammaphan said on July 18 that she used a stopover during her return to Thailand from U.S. trade negotiations to participate in a Thai food and fruit promotion event at Aeon's Narita branch in Japan, monitoring market conditions and the overall situation for Thai products in Japan.
She visited displays of Thai fruits and food products that have attracted significant interest from Japanese consumers, particularly Thai durian, which continues to gain growing recognition and popularity, along with other Thai fruits such as mangosteen and pomelo, as well as Thai snacks and desserts favored by Japanese shoppers on weekends. These sales reflect the potential of Thai agricultural and food products to expand into Japan's premium market segment.
Suphajee also visited Kaew Jai, a Thai restaurant in Chiba Prefecture that holds the Thai SELECT certification and has served authentic Thai cuisine for over 25 years, exemplifying the success of building Thailand's food brand and consumer confidence in foreign markets.
Suphajee stated that through discussions with Pimjai Matsumoto, Honorary Trade Advisor for International Trade, and Nobuo Shirahama, a specialist in Japanese banana development, she exchanged information and monitored progress on promoting Thai banana exports to Japan, a market with high potential. Japan imports approximately 1 million tons of fresh bananas annually, with over 80 percent coming from ASEAN countries, making it an important opportunity for Thailand to increase market share and expand premium banana exports to Japanese consumers.
The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) has scheduled a visit for Japanese importers to banana cultivation areas to meet with farmers and business operators in order to build confidence and encourage purchasing orders, with the main objective of capturing a larger share of Japan's banana market.
