Ministry sets recommended prices for bottled water

“To prevent unscrupulous traders overcharging consumers, the ministry is setting suggested prices at Bt7 for a small bottle of drinking water [500-600 millilitres], or Bt10 for a chilled bottle, and Bt14 for a 1.5-litre bottle,” Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikulya said yesterday.

The ministry has found more demand in the market, but not yet tight stocks.

Violators will be subject to a maximum Bt140,000 fine and/or seven years in jail under the Prices of Goods and Services Act. If the ministry detects any shortages or hoarding, it will take strong action to control retail prices.

The ministry surveyed the country’s five leading water bottlers – Chang, Singha, Nestle, Namtip and Crystal – and they insisted that their inventory was still adequate and their production was normal. 

Modern traders including Makro, Tesco Lotus and Big C also claimed that bottled-water sales were as usual. 

Only some areas such as in Pathum Thani were experiencing high demand, but those chains could manage their supplies to fulfil the needs of consumers in those areas.

The Commerce Ministry will also spend Bt10 million in cooperation with Work Point TV to produce a game show called “Clever Purchase, Clever Spend” to increase people’s awareness of spending money wisely and sufficiently. 

The TV programme is set to broadcast for six months on Workpoint Channel and Channel 5.

Thailand will host a Joint Trade Committee meeting with Vietnam in Bangkok from July 20-22 to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries. 

Thailand and Vietnam aim to double their trade to US$20 billion by 2020 from $11.82 billion (Bt402 billion) last year.

They will closely cooperate on rubber and rice trading, and transport. Thailand will ask Vietnam to allow more Thai banks to set up operations there. Thailand will also try to persuade Vietnam to lift its import ban on Thai fruits.