Fruit exporters seal deal

       Chanthaburi fruit exporters have made a business agreement with China Shipping Bangkok Co to use the liner as its main carrier for transporting produce abroad.
       The agreement was signed yesterday by the association of fresh and frozen fruit exporters of Chanthaburi, the provincial administration organisation, and the shipping line.
       Under the agreement, local exporters agree to supply a sufficient volume of fresh and frozen fruit of at least 500 containers next season while the liner will provide more stable freight rates,especially for export routes to cities in China, a major Thai fruit destination.
       Pojana Sudsaweang, vice-president of G All Season Co, the province's leading fruit exporter, said China Shipping offered a rate of US$1,100 for a 40-foot container delivery to Guangzhou.
       The exporters also asked the liner to stabilise rates to other routes such as the US.
       To ensure the association has enough supply next year, it has joined with the provincial administration, with support from the Internal Trade Department, to open a new fruit centre in Tha Mai,Chanthaburi over the weekend to serve as a hub to assemble fresh produce from around the province.
       A source from the Internal Trade Department said the centre, built under the government's economic stimulus package, was also designed as a regional centre for gathering and distributing agricultural products for export because of its ideal location near the Gulf of Thailand.
       According to the source, the department has obtained about 100 million baht from the stimulus budget to build farm markets in several provinces.