BANGKOK, 20 May 2015 – The Ministry of Commerce is collaborating with grocery and merchandise retailer giant Tesco Lotus in preventing low fruit prices, by having the latter buy fruit directly from farmers’ cooperatives for its stores.
Ministry of Commerce deputy permanent secretary Vuthichai Duangratana presided over the opening of the event ‘Tesco Lotus returns fresh, sweet happiness via delicious Thai fruit’, which was a project under the ministry’s scheme to promote the consumption of Thai fruit and OTOP products. The project facilitates linkages between seasonal fruit producers and the market, by having Tesco Lotus buy rambutan, mangosteen, longan, salak and langsat from select cooperatives. Some 10 million kilograms of the fruit will be purchased from the cooperatives to be sold at roughly 1,800 stores operated by Tesco Lotus in Thailand.
Mr. Wutthichai said that this year, the ministries of commerce and agriculture have been implementing a system-wide management of produce since the beginning of the fruiting season, in order for the produce to be released in provinces that do not grow the fruit as well as in neighboring countries.
