| Abstract | This research s tudy aims at envisaging the prospects of industrial
structura l change a nd development and comi ng up with corresponding
polici es to cope with industria l restructuring task in Prachuab
Khiri Khan provi nce, Thailand.
With the rap .id , consec utive economi c growth in the past years,
Thailand's economy i s believed to e nt er a transition period in
which resource-based, labor-intensive industries have been losing
t h e i r comparative advantages due to increasing labor costs and land
prices, while capita l goods, more advanced t ec hnology indu s tri es
become urgent to be promoted.
Prachuab Khiri Khan province, l ocated in western region of
Thailand, belongs to a l ess-deve l oped area in terms of
industria l ization, thou gh its agr i cultural raw ma t eria l s are quite
fully processed. The struct ural change in the past decade
demonstrates t he common c har acterist i cs of most deve l oping
countrieR and areas, and of development lit erat ur es hav ing
recorded. Agr iculture has continuousl y lost its s hare in gross
provincial product (GPP) to industry and services sectorR.
Nevert he l ess agricultural production predomlnates the loca l
economy . Manufacturing sec t or s till has smal l contribution to GPP,
but is going to play mo r e key ro l e in the future development in the
province.
The province is specialized in pineapple, sugarcane and coconut
production and processing. I n fact, it i s the l argest pineapp l e,
the second l arges t coconut producer in Thail and, particularly, the
ca nned pineapp l e, accounting for 203 of the world expor t s. However,
corresponding to the economi c tran s ition in Thailand, agroindustries
in the p rovin ce are f acing severe difficu l ties.
Meanwh il e, a huge s t ee l compl ex and an industrial esta t e, as part
of the national ef f o rt s to upgrading Thai land' s industrial
s tru ct u re, have been estab li s hing in the province. The projects are
expected to generate tremendous opport uniti es.
Industrial :restructuring seems to be inevitabl e task in the
province. In thi s respect, government intervention (policy) becomes
necessary to deal with the chall enges facing the provincial pub l ic
a nd private sec tors. The policy can compri ses trai ning and
retraining workers, developing loca l en trepreneurs hip , providing
i nf ras t r u c t ure, streng th ening soc i a l welfare and reducjng rural
poverty, as wel J as protecting environment. |