Suphajee vows to maintain farm price stability, cut living costs, boost rice exports

Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun, together with Vuttikrai Leewiraphan, permanent secretary of the Commerce Ministry, and senior executives, attended a ceremony celebrating the 38th anniversary of Krungthep Turakij Newspaper at the Interlink Tower in Bang Na district, Bangkok, on Monday (October 6).

The event was joined by senior management of the Nation Group, as well as executives from the public and private sectors and members of the media, who gathered to offer their congratulations.

During the event, Suphajee spoke about the Commerce Ministry’s mission to strengthen Thailand’s grassroots economy, emphasising the ministry’s ongoing work to stabilise agricultural prices, a key sector that underpins the income of the majority of Thai people.

Suphajee revealed the set of proactive measures to address economic volatility, focusing on three key pillars, agriculture, exports and cost of living, to strengthen Thailand’s grassroots economy and restore confidence in the business sector.

Balancing farm output to stabilise prices

Suphajee said the main challenge for agricultural products lies in the imbalance between demand and supply, which causes price fluctuations, particularly during harvest seasons when output surges.

To tackle this, the ministry is implementing a policy to absorb surplus supply from the market to maintain price stability and farmers’ income.

At the same time, the “Green Flag” programme is being expanded to help reduce production costs through lower-priced fertilisers and agricultural supplies.

This policy not only helps stabilise farm prices in the short term but also encourages farmers to align production more closely with market demand over the long run.

Easing household expenses – “Blue Flag” expansion and drug-price liberalisation

Under the government’s agenda, the Commerce Ministry is prioritising practical relief for household expenses through both short-term and sustainable measures, including “Let’s Go Halves” and “Let’s Go Halves Plus” schemes that channel purchasing power to local economies.

The ministry is also expanding the “Blue Flag” fair-price programme nationwide, particularly across seven Thai-Cambodian border provinces, ensuring that low-cost consumer goods reach every community through cooperation with the private sector and local administrations.

In partnership with Thailand Post, logistics support is being provided to help small producers deliver goods more widely across provinces.

Another key initiative focuses on reducing health-related expenses. The ministry, in cooperation with the Private Hospital Association, is promoting price transparency for medicines and allowing consumers to purchase medicines outside hospitals voluntarily.

Currently, more than 100 hospitals under five private networks have joined the scheme, which is expected to lower medical costs, expand consumer choice and ease congestion at public hospitals.

Boosting exports through G2G trade and new markets

On international trade, Suphajee noted that while export growth has slowed, the ministry is pursuing a Government-to-Government (G2G) export strategy to offload stockpiled goods and expand access to new markets.

• China: marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Thailand has secured G2G rice orders totalling 280,000 tonnes, with more to follow.
• Japan and Singapore: Ongoing negotiations are underway to increase purchase volumes.
• New markets: efforts are being made to enter the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, promoting exports of agricultural goods, processed food and consumer products.

This export push aims both to sustain national income for Thai exporters and to balance external earnings with domestic purchasing power.

Commerce for the people

All of the ministry’s measures reflect the concept of “Proactive Commerce for the People”, in which trade policy is not only about numbers but about connecting the economy with people’s quality of life.

“All these measures form part of an urgent four-month action plan by the Commerce Ministry,” said Commerce Minister, “to ease the cost-of-living burden on the public and strengthen the stability of the grassroots economy, while at the same time preparing Thailand’s export sector to compete sustainably in global markets.”