Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has vowed to roll out 30 billion baht worth of discount campaigns next year to reduce the cost of living.
Speaking on Wednesday about his goals in the coming year and his performance in the first 99 days of his tenure, Mr Phumtham said the planned campaigns will involve expanding the distribution networks of affordable products to more communities, accelerating the development of e-commerce trading systems and enhancing the Thong Fah (Blue Flag) platform, which sells food at affordable prices, to accommodate digital wallet projects.
He said collaboration efforts will be emphasised, including coordinating with the State Railway of Thailand to use Bang Sue station as a Thai product showcase centre.
Negotiations with Thailand Post have begun to utilise the Blue Flag shop services at 20,000 locations nationwide, participating as points for sending and receiving goods through Thailand Post's network, said Mr Phumtham. Additional plans include establishing distribution centres for Thai products abroad.
He said without the support of a fiscal 2024 budget, the ministry under his leadership used its regular budget to implement seven urgent policies this year, setting targets in three phases within 99 days: repairing to reduce gaps; building for expansion; and strengthening for sustainability.
The first phase aims to reduce the cost of living for consumers, support agricultural crop prices for farmers and improve access to raw materials for entrepreneurs. The ministry established nationwide distribution of affordable products to reduce living expenses by more than 7.75 billion baht, provided financial assistance to farmers valued at 1,000 baht per rai, and explored domestic and international markets through 77 activities, generating a total trade value of 20.8 billion baht, said Mr Phumtham.
For the second phase, which aims to fortify farmers and entrepreneurs, initiatives include establishing provincial commercial mechanisms, commercial counsellors and the government's Team Thailand, whose primary responsibility is to support efforts to promote economic growth.
The ministry set up one-stop service border trade centres in eight provinces and sped up international trade promotion through existing free trade agreements (FTAs). Plans are being developed to accelerate talks for new FTAs with potential trading partners such as Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Gulf Cooperation Council, he said.
In addition, the ministry created an initiative to create jobs and trade opportunities through soft power, including Thai food, movies, high-quality tourism, books, fashion, design and promoting Thai products and services.
As for the third phase, which focuses on strengthening the economy, initiatives include reinforcing mechanisms to maintain agricultural product prices, enhancing SME standards, promoting successful business models for new entrepreneurs and boosting trade capabilities.
Plans for expedited exports in 2024 involve 417 activities, aiming to generate an export value of more than 65.7 billion baht, said Mr Phumtham.