Private sector joins govt to provide cheap, essential goods

The company is an initiative of the Thai Wholesale and Retail Association and other agencies with the support of the Commerce Ministry.
Somchai Pornrattanacharoen, president to the association and co-founder of Sustainable Thai 2015, said private enterprises had agreed to help strengthen local manufacturers and retailers producing and trading low-cost products as they want to help lower the cost of living.
Unlike large manufacturers and retailers, the company will offer cheap goods by cutting unnecessary costs such as logistics, packaging, advertising and marketing, so that consumers pay only for the product, he explained.
The company will cooperate with local wholesalers and retailers to distribute about 30 cheap goods such as canned fish, body powder, cooking oil, sugar, and packed rice nationwide.
The prices of these items should be 10-30 per cent lower than for normal products.
Somchai said that amid the slow recovery of the economy, people had turned more to cheap products to save money. This project should help them in that regard.
He pointed out that the spending power of Thais in some parts of the country, mainly the Central and the Northeastern regions, was quite low currently because of drought. Other areas are faring better, such as the Eastern region thanks to good fruit prices. Meanwhile spending in the South is still sluggish as market prices for rubber increase slightly.
Meanwhile, the Commerce Ministry yesterday kicked off a “low-cost shop” programme for the sale of cheap essential goods.
Deputy Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn said these schemes were part of the government's plan to help alleviate the high cost of living. The low-cost-shop scheme will provide about 30 cheap consumer products through 89 retailers via 372 shops in 56 provinces.