“I have asked the commerce office in the US and was informed that the rumour is just not true,” DITP director-general Phusit Rattanakul Sereeruengsit said on Wednesday. “Walmart is still importing products from Thailand and the trade relationship between Thailand and the US is still strong,” he insisted. Phusit said the department has been communicating with its trade partners after news that the United Kingdom banned monkey-picked coconut products from Thailand in mid-2020. “We explained that only few communities are using monkeys to pick coconuts as a traditional way of life. The United States market is responsible for about one fourth of total coconut milk exports.

Source: The Nation Bangkok June 15, 2022 08:29 UTC