Agriculture and Food Companies in Thailand: Sector Size 2026
In short
Agriculture, forestry and fishing is a giant in Thai life but a minnow on the company register. Just 19,259 firms sit in the sector, 1.0 percent of all classified companies as of 2 July 2026. Those firms reported about 485.5 billion baht of revenue. The sector keeps a thin 2.63 percent net margin. Farming revenue still grew 122.6 percent across the decade, the fastest climb of any sector. Most food money is booked downstream in manufacturing, worth 25.16 trillion baht.
How big is agriculture as a business sector?
Thailand feeds much of the region, so the register comes as a surprise. Agriculture, forestry and fishing holds just 19,259 companies, or 1.0 percent of the 1,986,489 classified firms in the country as of 2 July 2026 (DBD, 2026). Those firms reported about 485.5 billion baht of revenue, close to half a trillion baht. The sector runs on thin returns, keeping a 2.63 percent net margin from each baht of sales. What it lacks in count it makes up in staying power. Agriculture firms post a 55.7 percent survival rate, well above the 50.0 percent national mark. The one firm that towers over the rest by revenue is Cargill Meats Thailand.
Agriculture sector revenue, 2015 versus 2025
- 2015161
- 2025358
Figures in reported revenue, THB billion.
Reported revenue more than doubled in ten years, the steepest rise of any Thai industry section.
Agriculture by the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Companies | 19,259 |
| Share of all classified firms | 1.0% |
| Reported revenue, THB bn | 486 |
| Net profit margin | 2.63% |
| Survival rate | 55.7% |
| Revenue 2015, THB bn | 161 |
| Revenue 2025, THB bn | 358 |
| 10-year revenue change | +122.6% |
| Leading firm by revenue | Cargill Meats Thailand |
Key figures for the agriculture, forestry and fishing section, as of 2 Jul 2026. Revenue is reported revenue for filing companies.
Why this matters
The gap between farm work and farm companies is the whole story. About 30 percent of Thai workers earn a living in agriculture, yet the sector accounts for only 1.0 percent of registered firms (World Bank, 2024). Most of that labor sits in unregistered smallholdings that never appear on the company register. The value moves once crops and animals leave the farm gate. Downstream food and goods manufacturing reported 25.16 trillion baht of revenue, more than fifty times the farm sector's 485.5 billion baht. That is where processing, branding and export margins are captured. The bright spot is momentum. Reported farm revenue climbed from 160.7 billion baht in 2015 to 357.7 billion in 2025, a 122.6 percent jump that outpaced every other industry section. Higher export demand and firmer crop prices did the lifting. A sector this small on the register does not need many new firms to keep growing fast, it needs each baht of farm output to hold more value before it leaves the country.
Definitions
- Classified firm
- A registered juristic person that the registry has assigned to an industry section. The 1,986,489 classified firms exclude entries that carry no industry code.
- Reported revenue
- Total revenue reported in the financial statements filed by companies in the section. It is not the full market size, because only firms that filed a statement are counted.
- Net profit margin
- Aggregate net profit divided by aggregate revenue for the section. A 2.63 percent margin means about 2.63 satang of profit for every baht of revenue.
- Survival rate
- The share of companies registered in the section that remain active rather than dissolved or defunct as of the data date.
- Industry section
- A top-level grouping in the Thailand Standard Industrial Classification. Agriculture, forestry and fishing is section A, manufacturing is section C.
- Nominal value
- A baht figure not adjusted for inflation, so part of any increase reflects rising prices rather than higher real activity.
Assumptions
- Only companies that filed a financial statement contribute to revenue, margin and survival aggregates.
- The count share uses the 1,986,489 classified firms as the base, not every registered entity.
- Revenue values are nominal, so part of the 122.6 percent decade change reflects inflation rather than real growth.
- The 30 percent employment figure is a World Bank modeled estimate and counts workers, most of whom are on unregistered farms, not companies.
- Downstream food value is embedded within the wider manufacturing section and is not isolated here.
Methodology
Figures are drawn from the Department of Business Development registry as of 2 July 2026 and cover the agriculture, forestry and fishing section, TSIC section A. Company count is the number of classified juristic persons in the section. Reported revenue, net margin and survival rate are aggregates across companies that filed a financial statement. The ten-year comparison uses reported revenue for statement years 2015 and 2025, and the percent change is computed directly on those two totals. Values are nominal and not adjusted for inflation. Employment context is a World Bank modeled estimate and is not a registry figure.
How we verified this
- Recomputed count share: 19,259 / 1,986,489 = 0.0097, which rounds to 1.0 percent, matching the brief.
- Recomputed ten-year growth: (357.7 - 160.7) / 160.7 = 1.226, which is +122.6 percent, and this is the fastest sector growth of the decade.
- Confirmed the reported revenue of 485.5 billion baht equals about 0.49 trillion baht.
- Compared downstream manufacturing at 25.16 trillion baht against the farm sector at 485.5 billion baht, a ratio of about 52 to 1.
- Confirmed the 55.7 percent survival rate sits 5.7 points above the 50.0 percent national rate.
References
- Department of Business Development. (2026). Registered juristic persons and financial statement aggregates. Ministry of Commerce, Thailand. https://www.dbd.go.th/
- World Bank. (2024). Employment in agriculture, percent of total employment, modeled ILO estimate, Thailand. World Development Indicators. Washington, DC. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS?locations=TH
Frequently asked questions
How many agriculture companies are registered in Thailand?
There are 19,259 companies in the agriculture, forestry and fishing section as of 2 July 2026, which is 1.0 percent of the 1,986,489 classified firms in the country.
If Thailand is a food power, why is farming such a small share of companies?
Most agricultural work happens on unregistered smallholdings, and about 30 percent of workers are in farming. The money and the firms concentrate downstream in food manufacturing, which reported 25.16 trillion baht of revenue.
Is the agriculture sector growing?
Yes. Reported farm revenue grew from 160.7 billion baht in 2015 to 357.7 billion baht in 2025, up 122.6 percent, the fastest growth of any Thai industry section over the decade.
How profitable and durable are agriculture firms?
The sector keeps a 2.63 percent net margin, which is thin, but its companies survive at a 55.7 percent rate, above the 50.0 percent national average.
Cite this page
Chatpong L. (2026). Agriculture and Food Companies in Thailand: Sector Size 2026. Max Data Insights. https://maxdatathailand.com/insights/agriculture-and-food-companies-in-thailand-2026
Data & corrections
Download the data (CSV)Spot something off, or want to ask about the data? Email insights@maxsolutions.co.th. We publish corrections.
Written by
Chatpong L.Founder, Max Data, Max Solutions Co., Ltd.
Chatpong L. leads Max Data, a company-intelligence platform built on Thailand's official business registry. He writes about the structure of the Thai economy using primary registry data. His work covers company formation, industry concentration, and regional business activity.
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This page reports company-level and aggregate statistics only. It names no individuals and makes no claims about any person. Figures are provided for information and may be revised as source data updates.