The first ship with refrigerated containers to ply the Mekong river has
been put into service to boost the growing trade in fruits and
vegetables between Thailand and China. The Hehai, a 300-tonne,
10-million-baht ship, was built in China but the construction cost was
shared between a Thai private company, Manee Taming Co, and a
Yunnan-based Chinese shipping company.

Carrying five refrigerated containers weighing around 100 tonnes, the
Hehai arrived in Chiang Rai's Chiang Saen port from China on Wednesday.

It is to deliver agricultural produce such as durian and rice to
Kunming city in China, where a trade fair opens tomorrow and runs until
Saturday.

Kalyani Rutharakarn, managing director of Manee Taming Co, said the
ship would significantly boost Thai-Chinese trade along the Mekong
river after a bilateral Free Trade Area agreement for fruit and
vegetables between Thailand and China came into effect in October 2003.

In the past, agricultural products from Thailand were not popular among
Chinese consumers, said Mrs Kalyani. Many were perishable goods which
were spoiled on delivery because there were no refrigerated containers
to keep them fresh.

The launch of the ship, which ensures a longer shelf-life for products,
means more fresh fruits and vegetables from Thailand and China are
expected to be made available in other countries as well, she said. If
the ship proves a success, more will be built in the future.

She also asked the government to provide support in terms of quality
control systems, to make Thai products more acceptable to international
consumers.

Mrs Kalyani proposed that customs clear the refrigerated goods
automatically without opening the containers to check the goods inside,
so that the quality could be maintained.

The 30m ship can carry five containers when the Mekong is at low ebb
and up to 12 containers when the river is high.

Patcharadit Sinsawat, a Chiang Saen customs chief, said a full
transport system and a duty free area will be developed in Chiang Saen
district to facilitate cross-border trade with neighbouring countries.

The volume of trade handled through customs is estimated at 100 million
baht each month and the customs office has managed to collect around
six million baht in tax revenue each month over the last seven months

--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Lancang-Mekong" group.
To post to this group, send email to Lancang-Mekong@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Lancang-Mekong-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Lancang-Mekong
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---