The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) is calling on the government to examine fruit and vegetables purchased from neighbouring countries and China more carefully after pesticide contamination was discovered in some imports of farm produce.
"Thailand continues to import fruit and vegetables contaminated by chemicals banned in many countries," said Kriengkrai Thiennukul, chairman of the FTI.
More careful examination of imported farm produce is required to prevent an unhealthy impact on consumers, he said.
One option is to increase the number of inspection officials examining imports of fruit and vegetables, said Mr Kriengkrai, which would build greater confidence among consumers.
In January of 2024, the value of imported fruit and vegetables increased by 8.4% year-on-year to 13.2 billion baht, according to the FTI.
The imports included oranges, tomatoes, kale, basil, chillies and cauliflower.
The FTI is also concerned with the impact of imports on Thailand's agricultural sector, which plays an important role in driving the country's GDP.
Problems with imported items are not limited to the agricultural sector.
The federation earlier warned against an influx of cheap Chinese products that was affecting the competitiveness of local small and medium-sized enterprises.
The large quantity of Chinese goods entering the country affected local manufacturers across 20 sectors, including steel, aluminium, plastics, ceramics, petrochemicals and medicine, according to the FTI.
Some of these products require inspection as they may not meet the required safety and environmental standards, the FTI noted.
Industry Minister Pimphattra Wichaikul instructed the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) to work with the Customs Department to inspect the quality of imported goods, especially those supervised by the TISI.
The move is meant to stop the influx of cheap, substandard goods.
However, many low-quality items are still imported into the country, Mr Kriengkrai said earlier.