Agriculture accounts for only six percent of Thailand’s GDP, but the sector employs around one-third of the country’s labor force. Thailand is the world’s largest exporter of tapioca products, rubber, canned tuna, and canned pineapple.
Thailand was the 25th largest export market for U.S. agricultural products (including seafood and forestry products) and the 13th largest supplier to the United States of agricultural imports in 2024. U.S. exports of agricultural and related products to Thailand in 2024 increased 8 percent from about $1.32 billion in 2023 to $1.43 billion. This growth was driven by a combination of recovering domestic demand in Thailand, and the rebound in Thailand’s livestock sector, which had previously been impacted by an African Swine Fever outbreak. Rising consumer demand for high-quality and processed foods also contributed to the growth.
U.S. exports of bulk commodities, accounting for 36 percent of all U.S. agricultural exports to Thailand, rose 4 percent in 2024 due mainly to a recovery of soybean exports, which surged 49 percent from 2023. Intermediate products, which accounted for 28 percent of all U.S. agricultural exports to Thailand, grew 11 percent due mainly to improved exports of animal additives and other feed, meals and fodders, which more than offset the decline in exports of distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and soybean meal. Consumer-oriented products, accounting for 29 percent of all U.S. agricultural exports to Thailand in 2024, grew 7 percent from 2023 due mainly to increased exports of food preparations, tree nuts, fresh fruit, processed vegetable, and beef and beef products which offset the reduced exports of dairy products, chocolate and coco products, non-alcoholic beverages, and wine and distilled spirits.
Thailand has high tariffs on agricultural imports with the bound tariff rate averaging 38.2 percent ad valorem in 2023. This presents a significant impediment for U.S. agricultural exports, particularly consumer-oriented products, including dairy products, meats, fresh fruit, snack foods, processed vegetables, pet food, and alcoholic beverages. Many other agricultural suppliers to Thailand (e.g., Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Peru, and Chile) face lower tariffs than the United States due to free trade agreements with Thailand. Thailand’s non-tariff trade barriers include non-transparent tariff-rate-quota administration, arbitrary import permit controls, especially on fuel ethanol, and food standards that are not harmonized with international standards.
Thailand imposes food safety inspection fees in the form of import permit fees on all shipments of cooked and uncooked meat. The current fee level was set in October 2016 at 7 baht per kg (approximately $215 per metric ton [MT] for imported cooked and uncooked meat for food or feed and at 3 baht per kg (approximately $92/MT) for imported cooked and uncooked meat for purposes other than food or feed Under the Thai Animal Epidemics Act of 2015, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) Department of Thailand imposes food safety inspection fees in the form of import permit fees on all shipments of cooked and uncooked meat. The current fee level was set in October 2016 at 7 baht per kg (approximately $215 per metric ton [MT] for imported cooked and uncooked meat for food or feed and at 3 baht per kg (approximately $92/MT) for imported cooked and uncooked meat for purposes other than food or feed Under the Thai Animal Epidemics Act of 2015, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) Department of Livestock Development (DLD) has discretionary authority to increase these import fees up to five-fold.
Table: Thailand’s Agricultural Sector Market Size (US$ Millions)
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 (Estimate) |
Total Local Production | 43,213 | 44,179 | 44,941 | 49,336 |
Total Exports | 47,332 | 48,916 | 50,918 | 51,576 |
Total Imports | 22,299 | 22,495 | 22,670 | 23,078 |
Imports from the U.S. | 1,670 | 1,325 | 1,425 | 1,447 |
Total Market Size | 18,180 | 17,758 | 16,693 | 20,838 |
Exchange Rate | 35.07 | 34.80 | 36.02 | 33.40 |
(Total market size = (total local production + imports) – exports)
Source: National Economic and Social and Development Council, Thai Customs, and USDA/FAS
Leading Sub-sectors
Leading sub-sectors include wheat milling, soybean crushing, and animal feed operations, as well as the hospitality industry, food retailing, and food processing.
Opportunities
Thailand is a growing destination for U.S. agricultural exports due to its expanding economy, increasing consumer incomes, changing lifestyles, and the growing, vibrant tourism industry. In 2025, the economy is expected to grow 1.8 percent driven by the recovery in the service sector as the number of foreign tourists are expected to increase from 35.5 million in 2024 to around 37 million in 2025 (close to the pre-COVID peak of 40 million foreign tourists in 2019). The recovery in the hotel and food service sectors is expected to boost demand for animal feed for livestock production, and food ingredients to supply Thailand’s processed food industry.
The best market prospects for U.S. agricultural exports include wheat, soybeans and soybean meal, cotton, render meal, animal feed premix, DDGS, dairy products, fresh and processed fruit and vegetables, tree nuts, chocolate and cocoa products, wines and non-alcoholic beverage, meat and meat products, starches, dehydrated potatoes, food additives, colorings, flavorings, juice concentrates, seafood products, and other baking ingredients.
Resources
USDA has endorsed the following trade shows in Thailand:
Event: FI Asia Thailand 2025
Date: September 17-19, 2025
Email: Cathal.ODoherty@informa.com
Event: THAIFEX-Anuga 2026
Date: May 26-30, 2026
Email: operations-ih@koelnmesse-thailand.com
Event: VIV Asia 2027
Date: March 10-12, 2027
Email: viv@vnuasiapacific.com
Please contact USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) office in Thailand for more information on exporting U.S. food and agricultural products to Thailand: AgBangkok@usda.gov