Castellón tile producers fear losses caused by Thai military coup
Castellón tile producers fear losses caused by Thai military coup
TILE manufacturers in the eastern province of Castellón are worried about their financial future as a result of the coup d'état in Thailand, a country where they exported 19 million euros' worth of their goods to in 2013.
And since the start of Spain's economic crisis, ceramic tile exports to Thailand have been constantly rising.
Last year alone saw an increase on figures for 2012 of 31.6 per cent to the south-east Asian country. Castellón's industry accounts for 90 per cent of tile manufacturing in Spain, and most of the ceramic produced is exported.
Political upheaval abroad has caused the province's industry problems in the past, with Algerian and Egyptian markets falling flat suddenly with the onset of the Arab Spring – although sales to these north African countries have now stabilised.
But Thailand is one of the largest foreign markets for ceramic tiles – in 2007, a total of 6.3 million euros' worth of goods were sold there, and this has increased by an average of 20 per cent a year, more than trebling by 2013.
