BANGKOK, 9 May 2012 – Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom today visited supermarkets and fresh markets in Charansanitvong area to inspect prices of consumer goods as part of the government’s response to complaints of rising living costs.
Following his inspection trips at a Macro branch and the Bang Khunsri fresh market, Mr Boonsong noted that the food items with the highest price rise are fresh vegetables and instant foods.
In a bid to help ease the impacts of inflated prices of goods, the Commerce Ministry is set to open food stalls selling ready-to-eat food at low prices in 10 communities across Bangkok this week. The project will then be expanded to cover all the 50 districts within this month. After two months of implementation, the Ministry will evaluate the situation to see whether the project is still necessary.
The minister said he will call a meeting of Internal Trade Department officials tomorrow to discuss the results of their inspections into prices of commodities in the market.
The Minister has also instructed the Internal Trade Department to hold a meeting with owners of consumer goods businesses, to request their cooperation in maintaining goods prices for the time being.
