Meanwhile, the impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant on the economy is also likely to only appear next year, senior Bank of Thailand (BOT) director Chayawadee Chai-Anant, told a virtual news conference.
The assessment of how the variant could play out will take time but there should be a clearer picture at the next monetary policy committee meeting on Dec. 22, she said.
"We are watching for developments and the severity (of Omicron)," said Chayawadee, noting that a good signal appeared to be that the response from many countries to Omicron had been faster than with the earlier Delta variant.
The BOT said on Tuesday that exports, a key driver of the economy, rose 17% in October from a year earlier, with imports up 20.1% year-on-year and a trade surplus of $3.8 billion.
Thailand recorded a current account deficit of $1.1 billion in October after a deficit of $1.3 billion the previous month, the central bank said.
Chayawadee said monetary measures would support a recovery in the tourism-reliant economy and fiscal measures continued to be introduced.
The BOT, which expects GDP growth to recover to 3.9% next year, has left its benchmark interest rate at a record low of 0.50% since May, 2020.
The cabinet on Tuesday approved a 76 billion baht ($2.26 billion) plan to support rice farmers' income and an additional 10 billion baht to support rubber prices, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana told a separate briefing.
($1 = 33.7000 baht)
(Reporting by Kitiphong Thaichareon, Satawasin Staporncharnchai and Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Ed Davies)
