Govt, private sector join hands to ensure ample black clothing

THE public and private sectors are working hard to distribute more stocks of black clothes and ribbons in the market to serve the five-to-tenfold rise in demand from mourners.
Garment manufacturers have given firm assurances that more black clothing will be available this week.
The Commerce Ministry will join hands with manufacturers to provide black ribbons free to the general public, and with garment manufacturers and modern traders to sell cheap black clothes from Friday-Sunday at department stores nationwide.
Retail prices will start from Bt89 for a T-shirt, Bt179 for a polo shirt and Bt239 for a buttoned shirt.
Somchai Sajjapongse, permanent secretary of the Finance Ministry, said state-run banks would jointly allocate a budget of Bt400 million to subsidise the production of black T-shirts for giving away to the 8 million low-income earners registered with the government.
After meeting yesterday with the Thai Garment Manufacturers Association, the Thai Weaving Industry Association, the Thai Textile Bleaching Dyeing Printing and Finishing Industries Association and the Thai Retailers Association, Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said garment producers and traders had insisted that there would be an adequate supply of black clothing this week.
Merchandise has been in short supply or sold out in some areas since the weekend.
The ministry will take serious legal action if any unscrupulous trader is found overcharging customers, Somkid said.
The government last week declared 30 days of national mourning. Many people flocked to markets to buy black or white clothing to take part in the mourning and some shops reportedly hiked prices to Bt150-Bt200 per piece from the normal average of Bt80-Bt100.
Somchai said the production cost of a black T-shirt was Bt50, which means the state-run banks will allocate a budget of Bt400 million to help relieve the expenses for those 8 million people. 
Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn said her ministry had encouraged traders and producers to sell goods as normal and not to cheat consumers.
Thavorn Kanokvaleewong, president of the Thai Garment Manufacturers Association, said clothing manufacturers had maintained their prices, as production costs had not increased. 
During this difficult period of national grief, enterprises will help provide a continuing supply of black clothing and will not overcharge, he said.
Bandid Pongsarojjanavit, secretary-general of the Thai Weaving Industry Association, said manufactures had increased output of black fabrics by about 10 per cent. There should be no need to import fabrics, as production could be ramped up to serve the high demand in the market.