KONTAN.CO.ID - BANGKOK. Thailand's exports are expected to rise by 5% in the first quarter from a year earlier, helped by a recovery in the global economy, the national shippers' council said on Tuesday.

The group maintains that exports, a key driver of Thai growth, are expected to increase by 5% to 8% this year, after jumping 17.1% in 2021 as global demand returned following a pandemic-induced lull.

Exports had a V-shaped recovery last year and the momentum should continue into 2022, said Chaichan Chareonsuk, chairman of the Thai National Shippers' Council.

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"I'm confident that every industry has received advance orders, so exports in the first quarter should definitely increase 5%," he told a news conference.

There are risks factors, however, including high fuel prices, a shortage of workers and raw materials, and port congestion, Chaichan said, adding the coronavirus outbreak should be manageable.

Council vice chairman Suparp Suwanpimonkul said if the baht stayed at a range of 33.0 to 33.5 per dollar, it would be a boost to exports this year. 

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Editor: Wahyu T.Rahmawati