Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has a lot on her plate these days – the Four Seasons scandal, flood preparations, and some delicious Thai curries.
Now she’s gotta make sure those curries are fairly priced.
Indeed, Yingluck recently revealed that she will implement a “Blue Flag” program to stop khao gaeng (curry and rice Thai-style fast food) vendors from jacking up their prices. Prices for the dishes usually increase when living costs increase, which can put a squeeze on regular working people.
The Commerce Ministry aims to put an end to the profiteering by setting prices of 10 common gaeng dishes at THB25-30 each. Many low and middle-income Thais have complained of the costs of khao gaeng this year – in the past plates averaged about THB30, but some have been paying up to THB40-55 lately.
Yingluck broadcasted her weekly TV show from a market in Bangkok’s Min Buri district yesterday and spoke about the issue. She said she wanted the program to “integrate persons into a group selling food at fair prices to consumers,” the Bangkok Post reported.
The Blue Flag program was launched by the Commerce Ministry in 1995 and offers consumer goods at discounted prices to help people deal with rising living costs.
“If we have [Blue Flag shops] in great numbers, nobody will buy food from vendors who make excessive profits. Eventually, these vendors will adjust their prices,” Yingluck said.
The Commerce Ministry projects this year’s inflation rate to be between 3.3% and 3.8% in the wake of the2011 Great Thailand Floods, but some food vendors will manipulate the prices of staples like pork.
Khao gaeng vendors at Talat Sun Kan Kha, where Ms Yingluck visited yesterday, said they have had difficulty setting prices this year with ingredient costs rising. Sari-a Panchamawat, who sells dishes at 20-25 baht each, said her profits have dipped with rising ingredient costs, but she hasn’t changed her prices because most of her customers are regulars.
