The Thai department of agricultural extension told farmers they needed to raise the standard of their produce to export to the lucrative European and American markets, Thaindian News reports.

High prices on fertilisers and other materials have impacted farmers, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is examining the effects before allotting assistance.

The deputy director-general of the department, Olarn Phithak, said the country is a key producer of tropical fruits such as pineapple, longan, mango, durian, mangosteen, and lychee.

Thai tropical fruit exports, which mainly go to China, Indian and Japan, were worth Bt48m (US$1.4m) last year.

Thailand hopes to raise that figure to Bt50m this year.

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