Thailand’s inflation rate is expected to stand at 4-5% throughout this year, prompting the need for the government to maintain its diesel price subsidy programme, says the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
The estimate is based on the latest survey of 200 executives across 45 industries under the FTI.
Some 50% of respondents believe inflation will be as high as 4-5%, while 43% were more pessimistic, saying the rate will increase to 6-8% amid higher energy prices.
Only 7% said inflation would stand at 1-3% this year.
Key factors behind the rise in inflation are the global oil price surge, driven by the Russia-Ukraine war, higher prices of some raw materials and global supply chain disruptions, said Montri Mahaplerkpong, vice-chairman of the FTI.
The federation earlier expressed concern over the impact of China’s zero-Covid policy because the imposition of…
