BANGKOK, April 22 (Xinhua) -- More than 100 organizations from Thailand's public and private sectors signed an Earth Day declaration on Wednesday to implement supply chain traceability and promote burn-free agriculture to tackle the country's air pollution problem.
The coalition, which spans leading conglomerates, government ministries, academic institutions, and civil society groups, targets the root causes of seasonal haze pollution by tracking major commodities, primarily rice, feed maize, and sugarcane, from farm to export.
Under the new pact, agribusinesses and food manufacturers pledged to adopt digital oversight tools, including satellite hotspot tracking, farm geolocation mapping, and blockchain ledgers, to ensure agricultural products are strictly untainted by crop burning.
Signatories are committed to seven core pillars, highlighted by a transition to zero-burn farming, 100-percent supply chain traceability, and transparent data disclosure.
Ultra-fine PM2.5 dust pollution is deeply connected to several economic sectors, particularly agricultural burning, said Poj Aramwattananont, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade.
Adopting a shared traceability standard will help clarify the origins of raw materials, increasing shared responsibility and elevating Thai agricultural standards to align with global expectations, he said in a joint statement. ■