Weerasak Wangsuphakijkosol grew up in a cassava household and now seeks to give growers a helping hand.
Weerasak Wangsuphakijkosol grew up in a cassava household and now seeks to give struggling farmers a helping hand.
Fate can play tricks on a man’s life. Such is the case with Weerasak Wangsuphakijkosol, who never expected to become a government minister at age 64. Born into a somewhat poor family with 11 brothers and sisters of full blood whose father ran a noodle shop and operated a small-scale cassava business in Soeng Sang district, Nakhon Ratchasima, the young Weerasak, the sixth son of the family, even grew cassava himself for more than 10 years.
“It’s incessant diligence and austerity that led our family’s businesses to develop on a gradual basis from a tapioca plantation to tapioca drying grounds, tapioca trading, livestock and tapioca starch,” says Mr Weerasak, a former executive chairman of Eiamheng Group, one of the biggest tapioca starch makers in Thailand.
Eiamheng’s factories, mainly in Nakhon Ratchasima and Ubon Ratchathani provinces, export premium food-grade and industrial-grade tapioca starch to several countries around the world, including Japan, the US and Asean nations.
Dubbed by the media as a “billionaire tapioca flour tycoon”, Mr Weerasak is a Bhumjaithai Party list MP and was appointed deputy commerce minister last year.
He has been tasked with supervising three departments under the Commerce Ministry, namely the Intellectual Property Department, the Business Development Department and the Trade Negotiations Department.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission reported that Mr Weerasak was the most heavily in debt of the Bhumjaithai Party MPs, clocking in with over 11 billion baht in liabilities.
Mr Weerasak later defended the debts, saying they mostly stemmed from business loans owed by Eiamheng Group, from which he had already resigned his executive chairmanship before assuming the MP role.
He now acts solely as an adviser to the group, whose entities include Eiamheng Tapioca Starch Industry Co in Nakhon Ratchasima, Eiam E-san Tapioca Starch Industry in Ubon Ratchathani, Eiamrungruang Industry Co in Nakhon Ratchasima and Eiamheng Modified Starch Co in Nakhon Ratchasima.
While the cassava business thrust Mr Weerasak into the political limelight, it has also made him a lot of friends.
“Every district in Nakhon Ratchasima province grows cassava,” he says. “So I have friends in every district in the province.”
Renowned for his friendliness and generosity, Mr Weerasak was cajoled to run for the office of kamnan (subdistrict headman) of Kut Bot tambon in Soeng Sang district. He served as kamnan for Kut Bot for eight years and eight months, starting in 2007.
Mr Weerasak was called “Father Kamnan Por” (Por being his nickname) by villagers, a reflection of the esteem in which he’s held. During the period, he was also elected as president of village headmen and the subdistrict headmen club in Soeng Sang district.
Mr Weerasak played a vital role in leading the Bhumjaithai Party to a strong election showing last March, beating an arch rival, former red-shirt leader Suporn Atthawong (aka “Rambo Isan”), who ran on the Palang Pracharath Party ticket.
“Today’s success is the fruit of hard-working people, together with thorough and in-depth knowledge and teamwork,” says Mr Weerasak, who describes the tapioca business as an imitation of life with all its unpredictable uncertainties.
“Many Thai tycoons, including those from Charoen Pokphand Group (CP), were interested in the tapioca business, but they later quit because the tapioca business has no specific formula for success and is a bit complicated.”
With his farming background, Mr Weerasak is committed to ushering in higher income for Thai farmers of tapioca, sugar cane, rubber and rice.
“About half of the Thai population consists of farmers,” he says. “We can grow our farm goods at a quality as high as that of other countries. But the question is why the farmers remain poor while Thailand is trying to promote itself as the Kitchen of the World.”
Mr Weerasak acknowledges the shortfall in Thai farmers’ potential, but he sees helping farmers reduce production costs and increase productivity as an essential part of his mission.
“My skill is in the farm sector,” he says. “So I’ll do my best to make farmers have more income and become richer, and despite a lack of skill in international trade negotiations, I promise to do my best to ensure that farmers get the best benefits from the free trade agreements.”
In a bid to rev up trade talks to offset the poor export outlook, Mr Weerasak recently assigned the Trade Negotiations Department to speed up trade talks with potential partners.
The department has been instructed to disseminate information and provide knowledge to farmers, cooperatives, community enterprises and small businesses about the benefits of free trade.
Mr Weerasak also set a target to increase the number of GI-registered products to cover all provinces.
GI, short for geographical indication, is a distinctive certificate used to identify a product as originating in the territory of a particular country, region or locality. The mark reflects the unique characteristics and quality of a product, which in turn boosts its market value.
The government aims to raise sales from GI products to more than 30 billion baht in five years from 4 billion baht in 2018 and link GI locations to tourism schemes.
There are 135 GI products registered in Thailand, 118 of which are local products from 75 provinces, while 17 are foreign products.
So far, Thailand has GI registrations in foreign countries for six product items: Thung Kula Rong Hai hom mali fragrant rice, Doi Chaang coffee, Doi Tung coffee and Sangyod Muang Phatthalung rice in the EU; Isan indigenous Thai silk yarn in Vietnam; and Lamphun brocade Thai silk in India and Indonesia.
Mr Weerasak also pledges to beef up support for restaurants, elderly care, asset management and beauty services this year to raise income for the country.
“Thailand’s senior care services, in particular, are considered insufficient for the 13 million people who will be aged 60 and over by 2020,” he says. “The figure is expected to grow to 18 million in 2030.”
There are about 800 senior care operators, 42.6% of which are juristic persons with a combined registered capital of 2.14 billion baht. The remaining 459 operators are individuals.
The senior care business includes residential homes, assisted living and nursing homes.
We can grow our farm goods at a quality as high as that of other countries. But the question is why the farmers remain poor while Thailand is trying to promote itself as the Kitchen of the World.
WEERASAK WANGSUPHAKIJKOSOL
DEPUTY COMMERCE MINISTER