At the country’s largest fishing port in a central province along the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, over half of the fishing trawlers are already docked and those still operating would likely stop work within days, said Jumpol Kanawaree, President of the Samut Sakhon Fishmonger Association.
“After April 1, you may see that there may be no fish sold because the fishing boats can no longer bear the cost of their crewmen, their families, they won’t be able to make ends meet” he said. “They won’t be able to make ends meet.”
In 2024, Thailand exported $7 billion worth of fishery products to destinations including the US, Japan and China, government data showed. The Thai Fisheries Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, although Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas on Wednesday said the government was preparing a package to support fishermen, including supplying B20 biodiesel and palm oil to prevent further price surges. Thailand has about 100 days of oil reserves, according to officials.
–Reuters–
