BANGKOK, 16 May 2012– The Commerce Minister is pushing to draw a conclusion on the details of the government’s list of price-controlled items, which will include ready-to-eat meal.
Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom said on Tuesday that the Cabinet has agreed in principle the proposed revision of measures to rein in the problem of rising goods prices.
He stated that the weekly Cabinet meeting concurred with the notion that, currently, prices of ready-to-eat meal are too expensive and to be included in the list of price-controlled items.
The state-appointed central committee on goods and services prices resolved last week to include ready-to-eat food into the list of controlled-price items, raising the total number of such products to 42.
The resolution has suggested 10 popular menus to be included in the implementation, which should be executed only in certain areas.
The Cabinet has instructed the Commerce Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, who chairs the sub-committee in charge of prices of ready-to-eat foods, to conduct a study to determine where the price control policy should be implemented, what standard each menu should carry, and the pricing for different areas, which the policy will be enforced.
Mr. Boonsong hopes that the details of the study will be completed in time for the Cabinet Retreat in Kanchanaburi Province on May 19th, in order to allow the central committee to make an official announcement on the new addition as soon as possible.
