On 28 October 2018, a delegation from the Department of Trade Negotiations, Ministry of Commerce led by the Director General, Mrs. Auramon Supthaweethum visited Mae Fah Luang University to discuss upgrading Thai herbs to international standards with President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vanchai Sirichana,Vice President Dr. Phunrawie Promnart, lecturers from Applied Thai Traditional Medicine Programme and Traditional Chinese Medicine Programme, as well as staff from Mae Fah Luang University Hospital and MFU Botanical Garden.
In the meeting, Mae Fah Luang University presented its one-stop service herbal project ranging from production on the farm to research, harvesting, herbal products processing, and using those products in the hospital. This project also developed a marketing model for the research-grounded herbal products. Finally, there was a campus tour to the MFU Herbal Medicine Laboratory established in compliance with the PIC/S GMP standard, Mae Fah Luang University Hospital and MFU Botanical Garden.
Furthermore, the Department of Trade Negotiations stated that the department has implemented projects to boost productivity and the quality of processing as well as increase the opportunities for herbal products to access the international market. Similarly, Mae Fah Luang University has supported herbal plant farmers to improve their abilities and capacity for improving quality and increasing yields. All in all, as a result of having the mutual goals, the two parties discussed possible cooperation in increasing the income of herbal plant farmers and agriculturists by enhancing the competitive capacity of the Thai herbal industry in both domestic and international markets.
