EECO policy and planning specialist Phojanee Attharojphinyo. THE NATION (THAILAND)
To boost farmers’ income and attract investment, the Eastern Economic Corridor Office (EECO) has decided to start promoting five groups of agricultural products grown in the vicinity of the eastern Thai provinces of Chonburi, Rayong and Chachoengsao.
“Our preliminary survey revealed that farmers in EEC areas still use traditional farming techniques, which utilise limited technology and consume high amounts of resources,” EECO policy and planning specialist Phojanee Attharojphinyo said on November 19.
“Traditional agriculture is taking up 66 per cent of land in EEC areas, 13 per cent of manpower and 64 per cent of water resource, but generates only 2.6 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product [GDP].”
Phojanee added that the project aims to promote five agricultural product groups including fruits, fishery products, plants for bio-based products, herbal products, and high-value crops (like decorative plants and organic vegetables).
“We will operate under three strategies: improving product quality using high technology, using modern marketing techniques and innovations to maximise sales revenue, and developing new generation human resources in farms to incorporate modern agricultural practices into traditional farming techniques,” she said.
She added that EECO estimates that in the next 20 years the population in the EEC area will increase by more than two million, while the number of visitors landing at U-Tapao International Airport could reach 60 million people.
“To support the increasing population, EECO is planning an urban development project for areas in a 30km radius of the U-Tapao Airport.
“Dubbed the ‘Smart City Suitable for Living’ project, we aim to establish a new city that is driven by the BCG [bio, circular and green] economy following the model of Singapore and Auckland, which have been ranked first in World Smart City Index in 2020 and 2021, respectively,” she said.
She said the smart city will have features such as over 30 per cent of green areas, self-sustainable water resources, public transport system powered by clean energy, as well as enhanced public health and education systems.
Meanwhile, Sonthaya Kunplome, mayor of Chonburi’s Pattaya city, on November 19 noted that EECO is also working with the tourism hub on the NEO Pattaya project with an aim to promote investment and tourism in Pattaya and Koh Lan, a resort island off the coast of the city.
“The NEO Pattaya project started in 2018, when I first became the mayor,” he said. “It aims to develop Pattaya city as an economic and investment hub in EEC areas which span across three provinces of Chonburi, Rayong and Chachoengsao.
“The project will make the city ready for expanding economy, tourism and employment brought about by the EEC investments.”
Sonthaya added that Pattaya city has drafted and implemented the first phase of development plan for 2018 to 2022 which covers five aspects of development, namely economy, society, environment, culture and integration.
“The second phase plan, which will be implemented from 2022 to 2027, has already been approved by the EECO. The office aims to attract up to 2.2 trillion baht [$67 billion] worth of investment in EEC areas in 2022, while currently the total investment in 2021 is at 1.6 trillion baht,” he said.
The mayor said that eight of 14 development projects under the first phase development plan have been completed, with the remaining six ongoing.
“Next year we have asked for a budget of 77 million baht to continue these projects, while aiming to generate up to 10 times the investment value in return.
“These projects include the development of tourist attractions in Old Town of Na Klua subdistrict, which expect to attract 1.2 million tourists per year and generate an income of 900 million baht annually,” he said.
THE NATION (THAILAND)/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
