The Siam Cement Group has expressed interest in a government initiative to establish trading companies to help promote small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in external markets, according to Kan Trakulhoon, the group's vice-president overseeing finance and accounting.
Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak recently came up with the idea to build up local trading companies to help support SMEs wanting to reach out to global markets.
Dr Somkid said that, although the idea of building up Thai trading companies had been around for some 15 years, only Siam Cement and the CP Group had been successful in putting the concept into practice.
The government will take a leading role in the creation of trading firms for the time being. The Board of Investment (BoI) and the Commerce Ministry would be responsible for drafting measures to encourage the firms' establishment, according to Dr Somkid.
