Province could lose up to B150bn

Prantalay Marketing Co in Samut Sakhon has prepared a depot and cold storage in Ma Klong in neighbouring Samut Songkhram province.

Samut Sakhon province, in red, is directly in the flood path

We've sped up operations to meet year-end orders and so far supplies of shrimp, mainly from the southern and the eastern regions, have not been disrupted," said Anurat Khokasai, the company's marketing and chief operating officer.

"But we are now concerned that increasing rainfall in the south will affect supply, as normally happens late this month."

Prantalay is confident its exports will top its original forecast of 8.4 billion baht, possibly reaching 8.5 billion this year. Domestic sales are projected at 1.2 billion baht. Next year, it anticipates sales growth of 10%, he added.

Inundated industrial estates in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani are prepared to pump out floodwater, but the water has receded slower than the Irrigation Department forecast, they noted.

At Hi-Tech Industrial Park in Ayutthaya, floodwater is still as high as 1.98 meters, higher than the estate's flood wall.

"We need to wait for it to recede to probably 1.80 meters," said Hi-Tech managing director Thavich Taychanavakul. "Earlier, we estimated the floodwater would establish early this month so we could start pumping the water out by this Thursday."

It will take about 14 days to drain 10 million cubic meters from the estate. Hi-Tech expects to complete the task by Nov 25, he added.