5.2 GAP CLUSTER IN THAILAND 5.2.1 The Western GAP Cluster and its context: some figures
The first Thai agricultural region to take an active cluster approach to GAP was an area made up of four provinces near to Kasetsart University in the west of the country Figure
5. This area is mainly characterized by vegetable production and has a total vegetable area of 35 200 ha Korpraditskul, 2005. Little data exists on how the total production of this area
has changed over time.
The development of the cluster needs to be seen in relation to the changing fate of Thai fruits and vegetables in the export market. While exports from the sector’s competitors in
China, Viet Nam and the Philippines have increased, Thailand’s exports of fresh fruits and vegetables to the European Union market have fallen from US9.5 million in 2000 to just
US3.6 million in 2005 GTZ, 2008.
5.2.2 The emergence of collective action
The roots of the coordinated cluster action can be found in concerns over the future of Thai agricultural and agro-industrial exports. Given a lack of stringent supervision controlling
agricultural production, there was concern that Thai agricultural exports were suffering because of an apparent failure in relation to international health standards. In 2002, the
agricultural department of Kasetsart University commenced initiatives in the regions around its campus in order to tackle this issue. An additional concern was to promote the spread of
new technology Korpraditskul, 2005. Overall, it appears that the university has been key in sparking the collective action within the cluster.
Figure 5. The Western GAP Cluster of Thailand
Supan Buri Kanchanaburi
Ratchaburi Nakhon Pathom
Thailand
The first cluster meeting occurred in August 2002 in collaboration with the Kenan Institute of Asia. Four exporters, numerous collectors, 90 farmers and 4 farmer group leaders were
in attendance. Subsequent monthly meetings were held to discuss issues affecting the fresh vegetable supply chain. A key development occurred in 2004 when the Ministry of
Agriculture launched the Food Safety Year, publishing GAP for a range of commodities. This initiative became a key driver for the cluster to develop its own system of quality
assurance. It was thought that it was necessary to comply not just with the Ministry of Agriculture’s GAP but also EurepGAP now GLOBALGAP, as the latter would further
facilitate access to markets. The farmers were brought together by the cluster so that there could be common learning about their normal practices and the constraints they faced in
trying to meet the GAP of the Ministry of Agriculture and EurepGAP. A common cluster GAP was produced in the Thai language within three months. The GAP itself was made
as accessible to the relevant parties as possible. Not only was it in Thai, but any part that was not applicable to the normal practices of each relevant actor was deleted and the whole
GAP was made simple to understand. Acting as a cluster aided the whole process, allowing exchange of information between the different actors farmers, exporters, distributors,
research institutes, etc. Korpraditskul, 2005.
While the production of a common GAP was a key step in raising the quality levels of the cluster’s produce, other action was clearly necessary to ensure that it was understood and kept to. The
cluster has a GAP assessment and checking system that includes farm advisors, government officials, farm leaders, trained internal auditors and various other cluster stakeholders. Recent
research on small farmers’ implementation of GAP revealed a general lack of understanding of the system Korpraditskul, 2005. For this reason, training courses were developed, relevant
to each area. The cluster has taken on many other related tasks. It is now committed, inter alia, to providing training to all parts of the cluster and promoting public-private dialogue. It also
launched a symbol for products that achieve the GAP requirements.
Overall, the cluster’s work appears to have been largely successful in promoting GAP in the region. Indeed, the approach taken in this cluster is being extended to areas in the rest of
Thailand. This extension called ThaiGAP is being driven by a PPP. The main actors are the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the agricultural department of Kasetsart University. It aims
to build on the Western GAP cluster’s work in improving agricultural practice, and also raise the profile of Thai agricultural exports internationally Chuenprayoth, 2007. Importantly,
despite being a national initiative, this new action still has a cluster-based approach at its core. The scheme focuses upon acting in eight key clusters around the country
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. Similar to the Western GAP cluster, it hopes to use the dynamics of collective action by supply chain
members and support institutions to promote SMEs in these areas.
5.2.3 The future of the cluster
