The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) expects its industrial land sales to dip to 3,500-4,000 rai this fiscal year, starting from Oct 1 2013, from 5,000-6,000 the previous year because of political uncertainties.
The estimate is higher than the previous forecast of 3,000 rai, as investor confidence returned following the coup and the Board of Investment (BoI) board being named. There are 56 industrial estates in 16 provinces.
For the first half this year, industrial land sales totalled 1,770 rai nationwide, with investment per rai of 15-20 million baht. The IEAT plans to add eight to 10 industrial estates on the Eastern Seaboard to serve investments, said IEAT governor Veerapong Chaiperm.
"We have land to support investments on the seaboard for five years with 15,000 rai," he said.
Yesterday the agency opened the IEAT Operation Center at its Bangkok headquarters in Makkasan to monitor the environment at industrial estates and provide direction in time of emergencies.
Mr Veerapong said under guidelines given by the National Center for Peace and Order (NCPO), the IEAT is studying the establishment of a Special Economic Zone in five areas: Tak, Mukdahan, Sa Kaeo, Songkhla and Trat. A plan will be proposed to NCPO within 60 days.
Viboon Kromadit, chief marketing officer at Thailand's leading industrial estate operator Amata Corporation, said it targets sales of at least 1,008 rai this year, with the bulk from auto parts and food industries.
In the first half of this year, Amata sold 200-300 rai, most to existing investors.