Pattaya-area stores have reported a rush on palm oil as supplies dwindle and prices skyrocket.
Big C North Pattaya supermarket manager Anek Thosamit said the store was selling 800 bottles of the most-commonly used cooking oil a day with nearly all customers being Thai. The store has now limited customers to one bottle each
Last year’s devastating floods have caused shortages of domestic palm oil. In response, the Commerce Ministry in January approved a 9 baht increase, making palm oil now 47 baht per liter.
Palm oil sits on a shelf in a Pattaya supermarket with a sign indicating a limit of 1 bottle purchase per customer.
The government doesn’t expect the supply shortage to ease until at least March, despite moving this month to import 30,000 metric tons of palm oil.
