BANGKOK (The Nation Thailand/ANN): Thailand’s Commerce Ministry is introducing proactive measures to help reduce the public’s cost of living nationwide, while also helping farmers cut fertiliser costs under the Green Flag Plus project.
The Department of Internal Trade’s (DIT) deputy director-general Chanthapat Panjamanond announced the measures during a briefing on the impact of the situation in the Middle East.
These include the Thai Help Thai scheme, under which the ministry is joining hands with department stores, convenience stores and leading manufacturers and distributors to offer more than 1,000 quality alternative-brand products at special prices, with discounts of up to 50 per cent. The scheme will officially kick off on April 1.
In addition, the Blue Flag low-price scheme will cut prices of key consumer goods, while special-price sales points will be expanded to cover every province, with more than 500 locations nationwide. Mobile Blue Flag trucks will also be deployed to reach remote areas.
The ministry is also preparing measures to keep the prices of ready-made meals in check by supplying essential ingredients, such as rice, cooking oil, eggs and sugar, directly from the source to made-to-order food shops and curry rice vendors, in a bid to slow any unreasonable rise in retail prices.
On fertiliser, DIT said it had received complaints from farmers in Ayutthaya that a major chemical fertiliser retailer was selling products at excessively high prices.
Officials were immediately sent to inspect the premises, together with officers from the Consumer Protection Police Division.
They found that fertiliser was being sold at high prices and summoned the operator to provide an explanation, while also examining purchase-cost and selling-price documents in detail.
The investigation has since been widened to shops that had previously received supplies, with the police continuing to examine whether unfair pricing practices were involved.
If wrongdoing is found, the public can report information via the hotline 1569 or through messaging platform Line at @mr.DIT.
To help lower fertiliser costs, the ministry also plans to launch the Green Flag Plus project.
Farmers holding a Din Dee card issued by the Land Development Department, those certified under Good Agricultural Practices standards, or members of community soil and fertiliser management centres will receive an additional 200 baht (S$7.80) in benefits, as well as a further 200 baht coupon for the purchase of organic fertiliser.
This means that each farmer could receive total assistance of up to 1,400 baht.
The scheme is set to cover 50 provinces, starting in Kamphaeng Phet in the final week of April, before being expanded nationwide.
The authorities are targeting the distribution of one million sacks in total, while also coordinating with 26 fertiliser manufacturers to sell discounted fertiliser directly from factories, with combined volumes exceeding 10 million sacks.
The Commerce Ministry is ready to work closely with the Foreign Ministry to monitor the cargo transport situation and help bring stranded Thai vessels carrying raw materials out of the Strait of Hormuz, while also seeking new fertiliser sources to ensure adequate supplies for Thailand. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
