Supajee says floods will drag down fourth-quarter purchasing power, discusses budget with Finance Ministry to push affordable goods
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Supajee Suthumpun, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, disclosed that purchasing power in the fourth quarter is likely to slow down because of the flood situation, and there is also the oil price problem that must be monitored. She has discussed with Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the allocation of part of the budget to help with affordable consumer goods. The measure will be carried out in a second phase, continuing from the Thai Help Thai project, which the Ministry of Commerce has run since April. Officials will first go into flood-hit areas to determine appropriate product prices and distribute affordable goods there. Supajee said she has instructed provincial commerce offices and the Department of Internal Trade to go into areas to inspect product prices, ensure clear price labels, and prevent abnormal price increases. The public can report problems via the 1569 hotline through the Single Command system, with Major General Chakra Yodmanee, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, as the center receiving information from provincial commerce offices nationwide. As for products missing from shelves in some areas because transport trucks cannot reach them, the Ministry of Commerce has coordinated with the Ministry of Defence for transport assistance. After receiving a report on the evening of September 27 that Sa Kaeo province was short of fresh food, it arranged for trucks to pick up goods in Kabin Buri district of Prachin Buri province before sending them on to Sa Kaeo. In Bangkok, it has coordinated with Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to bring fresh and dry goods into affected areas, especially Lat Krabang, where about 30,000 people have been affected, while monitoring shortages and ensuring product prices do not rise abnormally.