BANGKOK, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's exports grew for the 27th straight month in September, primarily supported by sustained global demand for electronics and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, official data showed on Monday.
Exports, a key driver of the Southeast Asian country's economic growth, expanded 24 percent year on year last month to 38.44 billion U.S. dollars, edging down from a 24.3 percent gain in August, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
Industrial product shipments surged 25.4 percent year on year, marking the 30th consecutive month of expansion, with the strongest growth recorded in video equipment, telephones, and circuit boards.
Exports of agricultural goods expanded 8.1 percent, driven by continued growth in southern Thai fruit shipments. In contrast, exports of agro-industrial products fell 2.7 percent, extending their decline to six successive months.
The September data also indicated that imports surged 50.4 percent from a year earlier, reaching an all-time record of 44.3 billion dollars and resulting in a monthly trade deficit of 5.86 billion dollars.
For the first nine months of the year, outbound shipments climbed 19.6 percent to 304.59 billion dollars, while imports increased 37.8 percent to 348.28 billion dollars, yielding a trade deficit of 43.69 billion dollars.
Following the solid performance, the ministry raised its full-year 2026 export growth forecast to a conservative baseline of 15 percent to 16 percent, up from 11 percent in the previous projection.
However, Nantapong Chiralerspong, director-general of the ministry's Trade Policy and Strategy Office, said full-year growth could reach 19 percent if the current upside momentum in AI and electronics demand persists.
Looking ahead to 2027, export growth is projected to normalize to between 2 percent and 4 percent, Nantapong told a press conference.
He said next year's figures will face a high comparison base from the start of the year because the electronics upcycle began in December 2025 and remained elevated throughout 2026.
The ministry is closely monitoring protracted conflict in the Middle East as well as cost-of-living protests in Europe for potential labor strikes, logistics delays, and softer medium-term consumer demand, the official added. ■