Register GI for cultivated durian “Bang Chao Cha Big Leaf Golden Durian”

Government House,, "Commerce" joins in celebrating His Majesty the King on the auspicious occasion of his 6th cycle birthday, announcing the registration of GI for the royally cultivated durian "Kraton Thong Bai Yai Bang Chao Cha" with fluffy, fragrant, and sweet flesh, confident that it will help create added value for farmers. Mr. Karom Polpornklang, Deputy Government Spokesperson, revealed that the Ministry of Commerce joins in celebrating His Majesty the King on the auspicious occasion of his 72nd birthday anniversary on July 28, 2024, announcing the registration of the Geographic Indication (GI) 'Kraton Thong Bai Yai Bang Chao Cha', a santol planted by His Majesty and granted santol varieties to the people of Ang Thong Province to create jobs, generate income for farmers, and improve the quality of life for a better life. For the big leaf golden durian of Bang Chao Cha, it is a durian that His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great, Rama X, when he was the Crown Prince of Siam, traveled to plant th e "big leaf golden durian" variety at Wat Yang Thong on 23 March 2007. The golden-leafed santol, Bang Chao Cha, has a round fruit shape, a slightly convex stalk, a thin peel, and an uneven outer skin. The ripe fruit is golden yellow, the flesh is thick, soft, and juicy. The seed fluff has a sweet taste and a sweet aroma. The planting area has expanded to Pho Thong District, Ang Thong Province, which is geographically an alluvial plain. It has a Sing Buri soil series that is high in potassium and phosphorus, as well as the wisdom and knowledge of farmers who are skilled and experienced in cultivation. In addition, the climate is in the hot and humid zone, which is a seasonal tropical rainy season. It is influenced by the southwest monsoon, causing heavy clouds and heavy rain. As a result, the santol has a sweet, delicious taste and grows well. It has won the first prize for the taste of Ang Thong Province. The golden-leafed santol festival was organized to promote the santol product to be popular in the marke t. It has generated income for farmers in the community of more than 6 million baht per year. The Ministry of Commerce has a policy to drive the grassroots economy by using the registration of geographical indications or GI to protect local community products that have unique characteristics in each local production area, create added value to the products, and promote the establishment of product quality control systems to build consumer confidence and continuously expand marketing channels, making GI products an important product that drives the Soft Power policy according to the government's policy. Currently, there are 206 GI registered products nationwide, worth more than 71 billion baht per year. Source: Thai News Agency