The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) has introduced the 'Digital Durian' project under the One Tambon, One Digital (Otod) initiative to assist 8.8 million Thai durian farmers in improving productivity and setting industry standards using digital technologies.

The project aims to address challenges by implementing applications for recording, storing, and tracking crop data.

According to Pantanu Wannagangsai, an advisor to the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry, this initiative seeks to boost consumer confidence domestically and internationally, amid competitive pressures especially from China and neighboring countries.

Thailand boasts 1.02 million rai of durian plantation contributing to 1.53 million tonnes of produce.

Durian is a key export, comprising 69% of fruit exports, primarily to China.

The government's policy aligns with improving financial conditions and societal stability.

Depa president Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin states that the project plans to engage over 6,100 households to adopt digital data recording within two years, aiding the development of big data in agriculture, especially for durian.

An additional 12,200 farmers across 23 provinces are expected to receive training on e-commerce and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification, furthering a national agricultural platform.

The initiative aims to increase Thailand's durian export market value to 19.8 billion baht in the next two years, with a target of 152,500 tonnes complying with GAP standards.

The Thai-developed platform supporting the project, certified by dSURE, signifies its reliability.

The DES Ministry pledges to expedite the modernization of agriculture by introducing market-driven innovations to raise farmers' incomes.