Price control on 55 items, face masks and alcohol included

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