Thailand’s leading food retailer Tops has unveiled new 5-year strategies to improve people’s quality of life and promote sustainability, hoping to support the country’s grassroots economy.
Recently, the retailer under Central Retail sent local sourcing teams to the Lower Northern Region to give advice to farmers in Uttaradit and Sukhothai.
Tops also purchased high-quality, delicious longan from more than 100 farming families, hoping to sell the fruit at its branches and Central Food Hall to help farmers earn more income and improve their quality of life in a sustainable way.
The plan also intends to introduce the northern longan to consumers across the country to boost the region’s production and create more opportunities and sales channels for growers.
With this strategy, Tops reaffirms its commitment to improving Thai farmers’ lives through direct purchasing. The retailer has been helping more than 100 longan farming families by creating additional channels to sell their products at reasonable prices.
Tops and Central Food Hall customers can also benefit from such efforts, as they will be able to enjoy high-quality, great-tasting longan from great sources.
Seeking delicious longan from other sources also benefits the retailer, as longan from the south is scarce this year and there are not enough supplies to meet consumers’ demand.
Tops discovered longan farmers in the Lower Northern Region, including the Ban Dan Na Kham Farmers’ Group in Uttaradit’s Muang district, which has 90 families and 300 members. Sukhothai province’s Si Satchanalai district is also home to another longan farmer, Ban Huay Tom Community Enterprise Group, with 29 families and 100 members.
Longan from the north is so delicious that consumers will not notice any difference between it and the one they usually consume, said Mr. Somnuk Yoddumnern, Head of Farmers, Quality Line & Local Sourcing at Central Food Retail under Central Retail.
It is cultivated in the Lower Northern Region’s areas that were formerly used to grow langsat, the iconic fruit of Uttaradit, known as “the City of Sweet Langsat.”
Farmers used longan branches from the south to grow on existing langsat trees, as both fruits are members of the same family, and employed technology to keep them in tip-top condition. The ideal environment and soil also favor crops.
Although similar to the fruit grown in the south, the longan from Uttaradit and Sukhothai has a unique, slightly tart flavor with hints of sweetness and a distinctive aroma.
The retailer encourages consumers to support northern farmers by purchasing longan at Tops Market, Tops daily, Tops Food Hall and Central Food Hall across the country during September when northern longan hits the market.
