BANGKOK, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's exports grew for the 25th straight month in July, driven by strong global demand for technology-related and digital infrastructure products and a rebound in agricultural shipments, official data showed on Thursday.
Exports, a key driver of the Southeast Asian country's economic growth, expanded 21.6 pct year-on-year last month to 34.79 billion U.S. dollars, accelerating from a 20.8 percent gain in June, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
Industrial product shipments soared 24.2 percent year-on-year, marking the 28th consecutive month of expansion, fueled by sales of video and audio equipment, as well as telephones, computers, and their related components.
Exports of agricultural goods increased for the first time in three months, rising 0.6 percent year-on-year in July, while agro-industrial products fell by 3.3 percent.
The July data also indicated that imports surged 36.7 percent from a year earlier to 38.40 billion dollars, resulting in a monthly trade deficit of 3.61 billion dollars.
For the first seven months of 2026, exports rose 18.2 percent to 231.53 billion dollars, while imports advanced 37.8 percent to 266.89 billion dollars, yielding a trade deficit of 35.35 billion dollars.
Looking ahead, Thai export growth is expected to remain robust in the remainder of 2026, supported by ongoing demand for artificial intelligence-related products, said Nantapong Chiralerspong, director-general of the ministry's trade policy and strategy office.
However, downward pressures from geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and uncertainties surrounding trade barriers remain risk factors that could hamper growth momentum, Nantapong told a news conference.
Last month, the ministry upwardly revised its export outlook to a rise between 5 percent and 11 percent this year, after a 13.1 percent expansion was recorded in 2025. ■