BANGKOK, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's exports grew for a 24-month streak in June, driven by industrial product shipments, official data showed on Friday.
Exports, a key driver of the Southeast Asian country's economic growth, expanded 20.8 percent year-on-year in June to 34.66 billion U.S. dollars, compared to a 10.6-percent increase in May, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
Continued expansion of manufacturing sectors in key trading partners, which supports demand for Thai goods, along with easing tensions in the Middle East that help reduce cost pressures for businesses, contributed to the upturn, said Nantapong Chiralerspong, director-general of the ministry's trade policy and strategy office.
Industrial product shipments soared 25.1 percent year-on-year, marking the 27th successive month of expansion, fueled by sales of electrical accumulators, telephones, computers, and related parts.
Conversely, exports of agricultural goods continued to contract in June, falling 10.8 percent year-on-year, while agro-industrial products dipped by 0.9 percent.
The June data also indicated that imports surged 50.3 percent from a year earlier to 41.19 billion dollars, resulting in a monthly trade deficit of 6.53 billion dollars.
For the first half of 2026, exports rose 17.6 percent to 196.74 billion dollars, while imports gained 38 percent to 228.49 billion dollars, yielding a trade deficit of 31.74 billion dollars.
Looking ahead, Thai exports are expected to maintain the growth momentum in the latter half of 2026, supported by rising demand for electronic products despite downward pressures from escalating geopolitical tensions and uncertainties surrounding trade barriers, Nantapong told a news conference.
The ministry upgraded its export growth outlook to a rise between 5 percent and 11 percent this year, after a 13.1-percent expansion recorded in 2025. ■