On May 16, Don Pramudwinai, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, alongside Shehim Mohammed, director of LuLu Hypermarkets Saudi Arabia, inaugurated the Thailand Halal Food Festival 2022 at Atyaf Mall, Yarmouk, Riyadh.

In Jeddah region, the festival was inaugurated by Soradjak Puranasamriddhi, consul general of the Kingdom of Thailand in Jeddah at LuLu Hypermarket Amir Fawaz.

The festival is an in-store promotional activity across LuLu Saudi Hypermarkets. The inauguration of the festival coincided with the official visit of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand to Saudi Arabia during May 15-18, 2022.

Thailand is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, especially among those who appreciate historic architecture, pristine nature, and an abundance of flavorful food choices.

As a beacon of cultural diversity, Thailand offers its warm welcome to all nationalities, races, and religions around the world. Thailand has a strong presence in the global Halal supply chain as all Thai Halal products consumed domestically and internationally are certified by the national Islamic authorities.

The in-store promotion is co-organized by the Royal Thai Embassy and Team Thailand in Saudi Arabia with profound cooperation and valuable support from LuLu Hypermarket Group.

The event will be held from May 15 to 21, 2022 at all LuLu stores with an aim to introduce Thai products and cuisine to Saudi citizens and foreigners residing in the Kingdom through food, culture and tourism. The festival will also see in-store promotions and online offers for over 500 products from Thailand.

Thailand has used science, technology and innovation to ensure the quality and safety of Thai food products, reaffirming Thailand’s capacity as a “Kitchen of the World” in the global food supply chain.

“Thailand is one of the food storehouses of the world and is known for its abundant agricultural produce,” said Shehim Mohammed. “Thai food is one of the trending and popular cuisines of the world and at LuLu, we work with suppliers to offer shoppers a wide variety of top-quality Thai goods.

“All this shall be showcased at our Thai Festival which is part of a series of year-round National Spotlights which add variety, dimension and excitement to the unique LuLu retail experience.”

Currently, Thailand practices the Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model (BCG), which aims to utilize natural assets more efficiently with the least possible adverse impact on the environment.

The key strategic areas will be based on Thailand’s economic foundation and strengths namely, (1) food and agriculture; (2) medical and wellness; (3) energy, material, and biochemicals; and (4) tourism and creative economy.

Thailand plans to achieve the target by supporting innovative agricultural products and methods to enhance productivity and hopes to achieve comprehensive security in the key areas of food, health, energy, employment, and sustainable natural resources and environment.

Important best practices and lessons learnt could also be exchanged as Thailand’s BCG Model and Saudi Vision 2030 are implemented respectively in the years ahead. — SG