Thai farmers pitch Buriram-born K-pop star Lisa to power fruit exports beyond China
BANGKOK, May 18 — Thai farmers are turning to superstar Lalisa 'Lisa' Manobal to help sweeten the global image of the country's fruit industry.
The member of Blackpink and Buriram native was named by growers as their top pick to front a campaign promoting Thai fruits overseas, The Bangkok Post reported today.
The suggestion was made during Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's visit to Chanthaburi, where farmers pitched Lisa's star power as the key to cracking new markets.
They believe Lisa's international influence could raise Thailand's fruit exports to 500 billion baht a year, up from the current 200–300 billion.
Lisa, who made history as the first Thai K-pop idol to go global, is known for breaking records with her solo music and securing luxury endorsements with brands like Bulgari and Celine.
Growers say her image could make Thai fruits more desirable worldwide, especially beyond China, the country's current top buyer.
The prime minister was also briefed on issues like long customs delays, premature durian harvesting, and a shrinking farm labour force.
Farmers proposed solutions such as relaxing rules for migrant workers and offering compensation for damage caused by wild elephants.
Paetongtarn pledged faster export processing, more government fruit purchases, and research funding to keep Thai produce competitive.
She later joined a durian-cutting event and livestreamed with young farmers — but for many, Lisa's star remains the biggest hope for Thailand's fruit fame.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
6 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Broken promises, bitter voters: Thailand's stalled cash handout backfires on ruling party
BANGKOK, June 2 — Rungthiwa Pimphanit waited months for a long-promised cash handout of 10,000 baht (RM1,305) from Thailand's ruling party, which she backed in 2023 elections, but now the scheme to stimulate a stalling economy has been put on ice. 'I'm very disappointed and angry,' said the 34-year-old government employee from the north-eastern province of Nong Bua Lam Phu, who had counted on the money to pay for her son's school supplies. 'There's no way I will vote for them again.' Rungthiwa's hopes withered last month after news that the scheme, a key election plank of the ruling Pheu Thai party, would be delayed, fuelling doubt about any recovery in south-east Asia's second largest economy after years of tepid growth. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra blamed steep tariffs proposed by the United States, but the delay to her government's flagship programme, on which it has already spent 174 billion baht, poses a major political risk, say analysts. 'No one will believe anything they say,' said Thanaporn Sriyakul, director of the independent Political and Policy Analysis Institute. 'The government must keep its promises to the people during the campaign. If they can't do what they said, it's over.' The government still has time left in its term, said spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub, reiterating that the scheme had only been postponed. The next polls are two years away. 'By that time, if the economy is good, there may even be something more than this programme,' he told Reuters. The handout scheme is popular across Thailand, with its continuation backed by about 60 per cent of 1,310 respondents in a May survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, while about 46 per cent said they would be angered if it was scrapped. 'I'm upset,' said 52-year-old Sathanee Siriphonchaikul in Bangkok, who had planned to use the funds to buy a washing machine. 'I don't think they'll do it again. The economy is bad.' The Pheu Thai party's failure to fully implement the scheme had damaged its credibility, said political analyst Sukhum Nuansakul. 'The digital wallet project hasn't worked,' he added. 'People hoped they would get it and they waited for it, but didn't get it.' The remaining 16 million people registered for handouts should be notified, said Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala, deputy leader of the opposition Palang Pracharath Party. 'The government should tell the truth to these people that it actually won't be able to continue the programme due to budget and technical problems,' he said in a statement. Growth and debt Three months after its launch, the stimulus plan had been unable to boost consumption, mainly because the handouts were sometimes used to pay down debt, central bank Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput told Reuters this year. Thailand's household debt is among Asia's highest, at 88.4 per cent of gross domestic product. On the campaign trail, the party floated the scheme as a multibillion-dollar initiative to kick-start Thailand's pandemic-hit economy and reach annual growth of about 5 per cent. Yet, the $550-billion economy expanded by just 2.5 per cent last year, lagging regional peers, and this year looks even worse. Since launching the scheme last September, after numerous adjustments and delays, the government has distributed just over a third of the earmarked 450 billion baht. The first tranche of 144.5 billion baht in September went to welfare cardholders and people with disabilities, with a second phase of 29.9 billion baht delivered to senior citizens in late January. The 157 billion baht meant for the scheme's next stages will now go to fund projects to help the economy cope with the impact of proposed US tariffs, on advice from the central bank and a state planning agency. 'Both of them asked us to reconsider, to see if this money can be used for something more urgent and necessary than the digital money handout,' Paetongtarn said when announcing the delay. Thailand faces a US tariff of 36 per cent if it cannot negotiate a reduction before expiry of a July deadline, until which a rate of 10 per cent prevails. Last month the state planner shaved its economic growth forecast for this year by one percentage point, to a range of 1.3 per cent to 2.3 per cent, warning that the tariff impact would last for two years. The government's mismanaged policies are reflected in GDP growth of just 2 per cent in 2023 and 2.5 per cent in 2024, said Prakit Siriwattanaket, managing director of Merchant Partners Asset Management. 'The downside of the digital wallet is that it didn't stimulate the economy as they thought,' he said. 'It's an extremely wasteful handout.' — Reuters
Malay Mail
19 hours ago
- Malay Mail
New world no. 1 Kunlavut seals Singapore crown in style
Singapore, June 2 — Kunlavut Vitidsarn celebrated becoming the first man from Thailand to top the badminton world rankings by winning the Singapore Open in style on Sunday. The 24-year-old demolished China's unseeded Lu Guangzu 21-6, 21-10 in just 37 minutes with his range of powerful smashes and deceptive drop shots. Paris Olympics silver medallist Kunlavut will replace another Chinese player, Shi Yuqi, as world number one in a landmark for Thai badminton. It was his fourth title this season. 'There will be pressure to be the best player in the world, but it's going to be a good pressure as that will give me the added motivation of doing my best to win all the tournaments I take part in,' said Kunlavut, who lost the Paris final to Viktor Axelsen. Denmark's two-time Olympic champion Axelsen, the former number one, is currently working his way back to fitness following surgery for a back problem. In an all-Chinese women's final at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, the fifth seed Chen Yufei outplayed second-seeded Wang Zhiyi 21-11, 21-11. Chen was runner-up to world number one An Se-young last year. Chen ended the South Korean's unbeaten run in 2025 by defeating her in the quarter-finals this year. 'I'm really very happy with this win because the draw was not exactly in my favour and every match felt like a battle,' said Chen. 'To make it all the way to the final was honestly something unexpected. 'I felt like I was not under too much pressure this time, so I played more freely and showed what I'm capable of.' — AFP
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
Opal Chuangsri makes history and headlines as Thailand's first Miss World
HYDERABAD, June 1 — Thailand has won its first Miss World crown after 22-year-old Suchata 'Opal' Chuangsri claimed the title at the 72nd Miss World pageant held in Hyderabad on Saturday. According to Bangkok Post, Opal, a political science student, was recognised for her long-running 'Opal for Her' campaign, which supports women with breast cancer. She was selected from a field of 108 contestants. 'This moment is not just a personal victory; it is a shared dream of every young girl who wants to be seen, heard and to create change,' she was quoted as saying in her first address as Miss World 2025. The first runner-up was Ethiopia's Hasset Dereje, followed by Poland's Maja Klajda and Martinique's Aurélie Joachim. Last year's winner, Krystyna Pyszková, handed over the crown. Pageant chair Julia Morley described Opal as 'a woman of purpose, with a voice the world is ready to hear.'
