Street food vendors not allowed to hike prices

BANGKOK, July 27 (TNA) - Thai Energy Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal says that he has asked the Commerce Ministry to help monitor, as local street food vendors are not allowed to raise the prices of their products, after a new hike in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for households by 0.50 baht per kilogramme per month goes into effect from September 1, 2013. Pongsak acknowledged during the weekly TV and radio programme of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Saturday morning that the increase will raise the LPG cost by only 0.30 baht per plate for street food vendors, as those who buy 15-kg cooking gas tanks no more than 150 kilogrammes per mongh can still buy the LPG at the present price after the hike; so it is unfair for them to raise their food prices. Pongsak insisted that the upcoming increase in the LPG for households to six baht in one year is necessary in order to reflect the actual cost of gas separation plants at 24.82 baht per kilogramme, noting that the Thai government has spent more than 140 billion baht from the State Oil Fund to help subsidise LPG prices for local consumers over the past five years. According to the energy minister, the Thai government will also assist households affected by the upcoming LPG price hike, with those low-income households consuming electricity at the maximum of 90 units monthly will be given help of buying LPG not over 18 kgs per three months at the present price. (TNA)