THAILAND: Ministry looking at import quota of 100,000 tonnes
Published: 03/05/2010, 5:25:10 PM
Thailand's Commerce Ministry will ask the Office of the Cane and Sugar Board for a special allocation of 100,000 metric tonnes of sugar to alleviate a shortage in the domestic market, according to Thailand's The Nation newspaper.
It is part of the government's emergency measure to increase supply to meet consumer demand and tackle the high price. Moreover, the ministry will expand the price-control measure on sugar nationwide instead of restricting it to five provinces in greater Bangkok.
The office will consider allocating sugar from Quota A, which has been reserved for domestic consumption.
Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai said the proposal would be submitted for approval to the Industry Ministry's Office of the Cane and Sugar Board on March 15.
"The ministry found the sugar shortage and the high retail price a problem countrywide. The quota allotted by the ministry will be rapidly distributed to every area faced with serious shortage," said Porntiva.
Recently, the government had to increase Quota A for domestic consumption by another million sacks (100 kilograms per sack) to 22 million, to cope with a local supply shortage.
Commerce permanent secretary Yanyong Phuangrach said the price-control measure to cover every province had been drawn up to ensure fair treatment of consumers.