Does Thailand Make US$3 Billion Per Year from Cassava Production?

Monrovia – The leader of the opposition Movement for Progressive Change Simeon Freeman in a live radio interview on July 10 on Okay FM claimed that Thailand makes US$3 Billion from cassava production every year.

The Claim

Mr. Freeman at 1:57 of the over 2 hours interview was making a case for increasing budgetary support and attention to agriculture productivity, with specific comparison on Cassava production in Liberia, Nigeria and Thailand.  He used the Thailand’s cassava production sector as a example of how much revenue Liberia could gain from cassava production and export.

Thailand, also known as the Kingdom of Thailand, is Southeast Asian country, is heavily export-dependent, with exports accounting for more than two-thirds of gross domestic product (GDP). Thailand exports over US$105 billion worth of goods and services annually, according to the Internet Archive.

Local Voices Liberia Fact Checking Desk verified this claim by reviewing several articles and reports written by institutions in Thailand.

What Did We Find

We found a report which was last updated on June 6 2023 by the Bank Ayudhya which host its headquarters in Yan Nawa Bangkok Thailand. The report,  which was written by Chaiwat Sowcharoensuk a researcher at the bank, shows that Thailand exported 11.2 million tons of cassava value at a little over US$4.4 billion.

The screenshot shows the trend in cassava product export | Source Krungsroi

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Also, a news article published on June 26, 2023, by the Bangkok Post, an English-language daily newspaper in Bangkok, reported that in 2022, the country exported a total of 11 million tons of cassava and cassava products valued at US$4.4 billion.

Meanwhile, the paper, quoting the country’s director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, warned that the country will experience decline in “exports of cassava and cassava products are estimated at 9 million tonnes this year (2023), down from 11 million tonnes last year, because of reduced output related to drought.

Conclusion

Based on these facts, Mr. Freeman’s claim that Thailand makes US$3 billion from cassava is mostly correct. The country’s cassava production sector earned US$4.4 billion in 2022.

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This report was developed with the support of Internews through the USAID Media Activity project. The funder has no say in the editorial decision leading to the production of this content.