The Democrat Party's deputy spokesperson urges the government to confront the crude oil crisis, challenge the petrochemical sector, spotlight bio-refineries, and focus on a green economy. He stresses the need to boldly transform the structure from reliance on crude oil imports toward creating innovation rooted in agriculture.
21 Mar 2026 GMT+7 Mr. Jirawat Changwat, deputy spokesperson of the Democrat Party, commented on Thailand's energy situation and economic direction, expressing concern over the structural impacts if the country faces crude oil shortages. This would trigger a chain reaction affecting the petrochemical and chemical industries, which are vital foundations of Thailand's economy. Crude oil is the primary upstream raw material in refineries producing naphtha and aromatic compounds, which serve as precursors for plastics and daily-use chemicals.
If this process is disrupted, it will severely impact related industries, including the automotive sector that uses lightweight plastic parts, the electrical and electronics sectors relying on specialty chemicals in circuit boards and wire insulation, as well as construction materials and consumer goods ranging from food packaging to cleaning products. Warning signs are already visible through price hikes in everyday items like hot food containers. The petrochemical industry, generating revenue of 836 billion baht or 5.2% of GDP, employs over 414,000 workers in the production chain and accounts for exports worth more than 486 billion baht. Any halt would immediately affect these figures.
Mr. Jirawat added that the Democrat Party has a clear policy to promote a green economy as a national lifeline and new opportunity. This focuses on reducing dependence on crude oil imports by advancing toward bio-refineries, encouraging the use of Thailand’s agricultural raw materials such as sugarcane, cassava, and palm oil to produce bio-chemicals and bioplastics. This approach can increase the value of agricultural products by over 40 times, alongside driving a circular economy that supports plastic recycling and chemical recycling to convert hard-to-recycle waste back into raw materials and energy for petrochemical plants.
Therefore, the opportunity for transformation has arrived. We must boldly change the structure from relying on crude oil imports to innovating based on our agricultural foundation, creating sustainable self-reliance and concretely advancing toward the Net Zero goal. .