The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) has kicked off the One Tambon, One Digital (Otod) "Digital Durian" project to help 8.8 million durian farmers improve their productivity and set Thai durian standards using digital platforms and innovations.
The project is intended to help Thai durian farmers deal with many challenges by using applications for recording, storing and tracking crop data.
This project is expected to build consumer confidence both domestically and internationally, promote high-value Thai products globally amid fierce competition, especially from China and neighbouring countries, according to Pantanu Wannagangsai, advisor to the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry.
Thailand has 1.02 million rai of durian plantation areas and produces 1.53 million tonnes.
Durian accounts for 69% of all exported fruits, or 991,557 tonnes last year, and the major durian export market is China.
Mr Pantanu said the project aligns with the government's policies addressing issues of debt, income, cost of living and societal stability.
Depa president Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin said the Otod Digital Durian initiative aims to engage over 6,100 durian farming households in adopting digital platforms for recording cultivation data within a two-year timeframe.
This data collection will contribute to big data for Thai agriculture, especially the durian sector, he said.
In addition, 12,200 farmers in 23 provinces are expected to be trained on e-commerce applications and certification for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), supporting the development of a national agriculture platform.
The value of the Thai durian export market, the world's biggest, is targeted to reach 19.8 billion baht in two years, with 152,500 tonnes under the GAP standards.
The platform supporting this durian project was developed by a Thai digital startup that received the dSURE certification, signifying its quality and reliability.
Mr Pantanu said the DES Ministry is committed to accelerating the modernisation of traditional agriculture by introducing market-driven innovation to increase farmers' incomes.