BANGKOK (NNT) – The Ministry of Commerce has launched a caravan of grocery trucks selling vegetables at affordable prices to residents of Bangkok, as supply constraints from flooding and increasing demands are driving up the prices.
Starting this Wednesday, a caravan of grocery trucks carrying affordable vegetables will be visiting communities in Bangkok and neighboring provinces. This campaign was introduced as a stopgap measure to help the general public affected by the vegetable price surge, an issue that is expected to be temporary.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit said pricing has increased for some vegetables due to the flooding disaster, while the reopening of restaurants and other businesses has driven the demand.
The Ministry of Commerce is now discussing with manufacturers and retailers of consumable goods to maintain the current pricing.
The ministry earlier discussed with manufacturers to ship an adequate quantity of essential goods to their distribution centers, to mitigate potential disruption caused by truck operators’ protest of high fuel prices.
The ministry is making sure that no one takes advantage of the consumers in this difficult period, warning that price gouging will result in up to 7 years of jail time, or up to a 140,000-baht fine, or both.
