
BANGKOK — Wolffia, also known as Kai Pam in Thai, is considered a food of the future, rich in protein, vitamin B12 and other important nutrients. The Thai government is actively promoting it as a new economic crop.
The Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Narumon Pinyosinwat, presented this plant at the International Green Week 2025 in Berlin – Agri-future: From Tradition to Sustainability, which took place at the end of January at Messe Berlin, Germany. As part of the presentation of Thailand’s superfoods for the international market, she demonstrated a dish with instant noodles made from Wolffia.
“I presented Wolffia at an international trade fair and it generated a lot of interest as a high-protein plant food. It offers excellent protein sources, especially for health-conscious consumers, and opens up great market opportunities. This could generate significant income for farmers, either as a supplementary crop or alongside their primary agricultural products,” Minister Narumon said at a seminar titled “Wolffia – Vanilla: New Trending Crops” held at the Khaosod News Office on January 31.

She also emphasized that Wolffia is particularly suitable for health-conscious consumers, vegetarians, athletes, the elderly and people who have problems digesting animal proteins. As the consumption of plant-based proteins increases, Wolffia is gaining attention from both producers and consumers.
To promote its commercial potential, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is working to set standards for Wolffia cultivation. The National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACFS) has recently adopted guidelines for Wolffia farms, dividing them into two categories:
- For human consumption
- For animal feed – as it also provides high nutritional value for livestock.
The Department of Livestock is also showing interest in Wolffia, while the Ministry of Agriculture is encouraging farmers to adopt Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) to ensure higher quality and market value of the crop.
Natthawut Chanruang, the owner of Chanruang Farm in Chanthaburi Province, is pioneering large-scale wolffia cultivation in a vertical closed-loop system to ensure clean and high-quality production. Before getting into wolffia cultivation, Natthawut was a durian farmer with an annual harvest. In the off-season, he was looking for other crops and discovered wolffia 4-5 years ago, which he initially grew in a traditional open system.

At that time, market prices for Wolffia were around 15 baht per kilogram, but sales were low. Through continuous research, government support and closed breeding systems, he developed an innovative approach to vertical breeding, producing high quality Wolffia while minimizing contamination from bacteria and heavy metals.
In addition, he developed a water recirculation system and built greenhouses to establish a closed-loop vertical Wolffia cultivation method that meets GAP certification standards to support future export markets.
“The new cultivation method has significantly increased production and added value through processing. We can now sell processed Wolffia at 4,000 baht per kilogram. With quality certification and a clean cultivation process, our product is well accepted in the market. As Wolffia is an aquatic plant, there is a risk of contamination. Therefore, strict standards are essential to gain consumer confidence,” he explained.

Chanruang Farm is also using advanced technology to develop Wolffia extracts targeting export markets such as Japan and the Middle East. The farm is currently applying for halal certification, which Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Bahrain— are interested in – all markets with high potential and strong purchasing power. Future expansion plans will continue to focus on exports.
Rapibhat Chandarasrivongs, Director-General, Department of Agriculture, explained that Wolffia protein has the potential to replace animal protein in both the current and future markets. However, Wolffia harvested from natural water sources may contain contaminants such as pathogens and heavy metals that pose a health risk.
To ensure safe and high-quality production, he has instructed the Department of New Economic Crops and Greenhouse Gas Management to conduct research and technology development for optimized Wolffia cultivation that meets regional conditions and consumer demand.

Currently, Thai researchers have developed three high-nutrient Wolffia varieties:
- DOA1 Chiang Rai (CRI1) – 48.6 percent protein
- DOA2 Nakhon Ratchasima (NMA1) – 47.0 percent protein
- PYO1 Phayao – 46.0 percent protein
These varieties are promoted to entrepreneurs, farmers and interested private individuals for commercial cultivation and high-quality processing.
The Division of New Economic Crops is conducting GAP-standard workshops on commercial Wolffia farming, covering cultivation, harvesting, and storage techniques. The program focuses on three key objectives: establishing standardized cultivation practices across all farming sectors, fostering product development, and training certification personnel. This comprehensive initiative aims to strengthen Thailand’s Wolffia industry through education and quality control measures.
By ensuring strict quality control and sustainable farming practices, the Thai government hopes to position wolffia as a future superfood in both the domestic and global markets.
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