Prices of essential not soaring : PM
Play
Prices of food and essential goods are within an acceptable range and not soaring as many have alleged, the prime minister said yesterday.
“People complain about rising prices because around this time of the year they feel they have the least money in their purse due to expenses for the new school term and holiday trips,” Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday after inspecting a market in Pak Kret district, Nonthaburi.
While walking around the market, Yingluck instructed her aides to record prices of key items like cooked food, pork, hen eggs, beef, vegetable and groceries.
A vendor, wearing a red shirt, told her the price of eggs remained unchanged, contrary to what many claimed.
Several vendors shouted words of support as the prime minister walked past their stalls.
In April and May of every year, people had to face a number of big expenses while their income remained the same. That fuelled a feeling that things were expensive in the face of their tight budget, the prime minister said.
She said sentiment was different to December when many would receive a year-end bonus.
But she conceded that the price of fuel-related products and seasonal crops had increased.
She said she expected the price of crops to drop in the third quarter of this year after completion of the harvesting season.
She said she didn’t blame people for having price rises on their mind but said hikes on some items could be attributed to several factors.
The Commerce Ministry would launch a sale campaign, known as the Blue Flag project, to try to keep prices in check until prices are expected to fall in the next two months due to seasonal adjustment, she said.
The price of vegetables remained high, she said, because of the hot weather. The government would continue to subsidise the price of cooking gas in order to alleviate its impact on the cost of living, she added.
Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the opposition did not want to waste time bickering with the government on the reality of price increases.
“If the government is certain that price have not risen, then all subsidised spending should be cancelled,” he said.
Abhisit said the government was too stubborn to admit it had erred on its energy policy.
Lifting of price cap at Bt30 per litre of diesel had pushed transport costs up, which, in turn, hit prices, but the government refused to acknowledge the consequences.
He said a reshuffle of ministers responsible for prices and energy would not change the situation if the erroneous policy was not rectified.
