Coronavirus (Covid-19)

Price control on 55 items, face masks and alcohol included

Published

Thursday, January 14, 2021 18:47

The government decided to maintain the price control list for 55 product items including face masks, raw materials for medical face mask production, alcohol (not the stuff you drink!) and alcohol-based hand sanitiser, and recyclable paper.

According to the Commerce Minister Jurin Lakanawisit, price controls on 55 items for daily use will continue, especially the price for face masks. A maximum retail price for medical face masks will be 2.50 baht for each one, excluding cloth face masks. The policy will preserve medical face masks for doctors and health workers in the first place and encourage people to use cloth face mask to prevent the spread of Covid-19 instead.

Measures for face masks are still the same as last year. Manufacturers, distributors, exporters and importers are required to inform the Internal Trade Department of the production cost, price, production volume, export and import volume, stocks and price labels. The export of over 500 pieces of face mask also needs prior approval from the department.

Other products and services under the price control measures include…

Food: garlic, rice paddy, milled rice, corn, eggs, cassava, wheat flour, powdered/fresh milk, sugar, vegetable/animal oil and pork.
Consumer products
Farm-related products: fertilisers, pesticides, animal feed, tractors, rice harvesters
Construction materials
Pape
Petroleum
Medicines

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

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7 Comments

FFTomYum

Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 7:17 pm

And this my friends is what communism looks like.

Reply
- intlbankster
  
  Friday, January 15, 2021 at 3:40 am
  
  Black markets are created by this, free markets allocate resources most efficiently. Free markets.. or you might call them black markets, will always win and provide to the widest base.
  
  Eventually supply shortages will be created and while you can pay the govt rate… and wait… maybe forever for your food.. You can and will be willing to go buy what you want and get it, when you want for a higher price.
  
  The resulting phenomenon here, is the facade that holds together our paper cash system falls apart as soon as you learn real things are more expensive than they’re “supposed” to because they are scarce relative to demand… like food.
  
  The price of rice is exploding. No reports on this yet…
  
  Reply
- Leaveit
  
  Friday, January 15, 2021 at 5:19 am
  
  What are you on about, price gouging is a crime anywhere in the world
  
  Reply
  - Issan John
    
    Friday, January 15, 2021 at 1:56 pm
    
    Not in some people’s world 🙂
    
    Reply
- Shemozzel
  
  Friday, January 15, 2021 at 9:21 am
  
  Historically, in times of crisis governments all over the world have introduced rationing, price fixing and restriction of personal movement. These steps are taken to ensure profiteering does not occur and there is enough supplies of essential goods to go around. If it was communism the shops would be run by the government and there would be nothing on the shelves and you wouldn’t be allowed to complain about it on a public forum like this one.
  
  Reply
Toby Andrews

Friday, January 15, 2021 at 10:32 am

It will be impossible to police.
what are they going to do walk round markets every hour? The prices usually are not even marked!

Reply
- Issan John
  
  Friday, January 15, 2021 at 2:00 pm
  
  Sorry to disappoint you, Toby, but it’s being “policed”, very effectively and very cheaply.
  
  It doesn’t need “police” to “walk round markets every hour” – just customers! 🙁
  
  Reply