Thailand becomes ASEAN's largest seed exporter with 12 billion baht in annual shipments
Thailand exports about 12 billion baht of planting seed a year, ranking first in ASEAN, second in Asia-Pacific and eighth worldwide, according to the Thai Seed Trade Association. Field corn and vegetable seed dominate the mix, with the United States and the European Union among the main markets. The industry now targets 50 billion baht in total value between 2027 and 2036 under a World Tropical Seed Hub policy.
Thailand has become Southeast Asia's largest exporter of planting seed, with annual shipments worth about 12 billion baht, and the industry is now aiming to more than double its value over the next decade. Boonyanath Nathwong, president of the Thai Seed Trade Association, said the country ranks first in ASEAN, second in the Asia-Pacific region and eighth in the world among seed exporters, according to Dailynews.
Field corn seed and vegetable seed are the two pillars of the business. The main destinations are the United States, the European Union and other Asia-Pacific markets.
Where the 12 billion baht comes from
Dailynews reported the following export values for 2025:
- field corn seed — about 4.18 billion baht
- cucurbit seed — 2.34 billion baht
- tomato seed — 1.646 billion baht
- chilli seed — 1.468 billion baht
- sweet corn seed — 1.099 billion baht
Those five categories together account for roughly 10.7 billion baht of the annual total. Field corn seed alone is the single largest line, at close to a third of all seed exports.
Farmers, plants and companies
The seed industry provides income to about 140,000 seed-producing farmers. Seed processing plants employ more than 3,000 workers, alongside over 1,500 specialists in technical and management roles. More than 70 seed companies operate in Thailand, of which more than 50 are Thai-owned. A further 21 are foreign companies that have built fully integrated operations inside the country, covering breeding, production and processing.
Accreditation drove the last growth cycle
In 2014 the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and the Thai Seed Trade Association signed a memorandum of understanding to build Thailand into a seed hub. That agreement marked the start of coordinated public-private work on the sector. Export value rose from about 5.4 billion baht to 7.3 billion baht before the COVID-19 pandemic. Production and transport were disrupted in 2020 and 2021, but average export value held at around 7.3 billion baht.
In 2022 the Department of Agriculture introduced Thailand's first Seed Health Test Lab Accreditation scheme, together with accreditation for seed quality testing laboratories and the Q Seed Factory certification for quality-controlled seed collection sites. According to Dailynews, the measures raised efficiency and shortened production and export lead times, helping lift exports from 9 billion baht in 2022 to about 12 billion baht today.
The World Tropical Seed Hub target
Under the World Tropical Seed Hub policy, the industry wants to position Thailand as the global centre for tropical and humid-zone seed, and to raise total industry value from about 24 billion baht now to 50 billion baht within ten years, over the period 2027 to 2036.
The plan relies on gene editing, pest diagnostics and varietal purity testing, and on transferring selected functions to the private sector under state supervision — among them Field Inspection Accreditation (FIA) for seed production fields. Thailand also intends to digitise its permit application system, revise related laws and regulations, and support domestic firms in opening new markets and expanding existing ones, in order to strengthen confidence in Thai seed abroad. Global competition, climate variability, energy costs and wider economic conditions are named as the main obstacles, with continued cooperation between farmers, government agencies and private companies described as essential to keeping the sector competitive.
