Karun urges the government to block the flood of Chinese oranges into the Thai market and requests a three-month import halt from December to February to help farmers in Fang and Mae Ai districts support honey tangerine prices, warning that Thai production risks collapse across the system.
At 11:30 a.m. on 11 Nov 2026 GMT+7, Karun Kuacharernchaikul, Chiang Mai MP from the Kla Party, addressed the problem of falling honey tangerine prices. He called on the government to urgently address the issue of orange imports, especially Mandarin oranges from China, which are entering the Thai market and impacting farmers in Fang and Mae Ai districts, Chiang Mai Province—one of the country’s largest and most important honey tangerine growing areas.
Karun added that Fang and Mae Ai districts have a combined honey tangerine plantation area of about 34,000-37,000 rai, producing approximately 100,000-110,000 tons annually. This is a key agricultural product and a local specialty recognized nationwide. However, farmers currently face falling prices due to competition from imported oranges, especially from China.
He also noted concerns that import inspection measures may not be strict enough, whereas Thai agricultural exports face multiple rigorous inspection steps. This discrepancy causes difficulties for Thai exporters and results in lost trade opportunities.
Karun therefore urged the government to urgently coordinate with relevant agencies to consider measures to assist farmers, particularly by suspending orange imports from abroad for three months during December to February, which is the critical period when Thai honey tangerines reach the market. If imports cannot be halted, he requested enhanced strictness in inspecting imports, including quality standards and pesticide residue checks, to ensure fairness for Thai farmers.
"Just three months is enough to help our farmers survive. I ask the government to stop imports or at least intensify pesticide residue inspections on products imported from China. Today, Thai agricultural products are struggling. If imported goods continue flooding our market, Thai farmers will not survive and the country's agricultural output could be severely damaged," he said. . Karun stated.