Reasonable prices promised for Thais in 2018

NONTHABURI, THAILAND, December 28 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Commerce has introduced a policy on keeping the prices of goods and services in the country reasonable as a gift in the New Year 2018 for consumers. New Thai Commerce Minister Sonthirat Sonthijirawong told journalists of the policy on December 27, saying that his ministry is also implementing other eight policies to stimulate the national economic growth as the additional gift for consumers in 2018. Sonthirat elaborated that the other eight policies include keeping the domestic farm produce prices and market stable, creating more jobs for low income earners, strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in provincial areas, promoting online trade, further stimulating Thai exports, supporting new service businesses in line with the government's Thailand 4.0 Policy, protecting patented products and launching investment-friendly measures. The minister stressed that all the nine policies are aimed to further stimulate Thailand's economic growth in 2018 and further boost the quality of life and living conditions of people in the country. According to the minister, his ministry is also organizing activities to ease the costs of living for people and support local business operators, including sale events of consumer products with discounted prices, an official online discounted sale website, www.Thaitrade.com, during December 15, 2017-January 15, 2018, blue-flag mobile sale platforms for community-based products under the government-backed One Tambon, One Product (OTOP) Program and the Franchise Days event at the Ministry of Commerce on the outskirts of Bangkok during January 15-17, 2018. Besides, the Thai Ministry of Commerce will extend the period of business registrations for local firms and launch, as of January 1, 2018, a new e-service for applicants of the e-Form D, the official certificate of the origin of Thai products, which is a required document for exports of Thai products to four neighboring countries in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. (TNA)