The Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) will be gearing up for the development and expansion of the orchid market in a bid to boost exports to the ASEAN member countries.

MOAC Minister Petipong Pungbun Na Ayudhyahas told a televised broadcast that the product's quality is required to be improved in order to meet the market’s demands.

In the broadcast, the minister asked the Thai people to purchase domestically grown orchids and revealed the development of the Or Tor Kor market as another central orchid market in addition to the existing Pak Klong Talad market to meet the supply demand.

He also said the MOAC will be expanding the orchid market to ASEAN countries with the aim of boosting the national export value with noticeable progress in 2016.

Meanwhile, the Committee Chairman of the Thai Orchid Entrepreneur Cooperative Limited Tossapon Charoensooksai said that the government’s interest in improving the orchid market will be beneficial to the private sector, and Thai orchid is renowned for its beauty and quality.

He said he agrees with the encouragement to increase the domestic orchid consumption, the private sector is now preparing for an orchid marketplace event featuring retails from cooperatives where export-exclusive orchids will be on sale for Thai people for the first time.

The quality and beauty of the Thai orchids are not inferior to foreign flora at all, said the Committee Chairman.-VNA