PHUKET: Food prices in Phuket remain adequate, including the prices of chicken eggs, which some people are currently much worried about, the Phuket office of the Ministry of Commerce announced today (June 15) following an inspection at local shops.
The inspection was led by Phuket Commerce Chief Woranit Aphiratjirawong, who personally visited some shops to ensure that food prices in Phuket are adequate. Special attention was paid to “goods that are essential for the people’s livelihood,” such as chicken eggs.
“The inspection found that prices of goods such as rice, vegetable oil, and eggs have been stable for the past two to three months,” Ms Woranit said.
Responding specifically to concerns about chicken eggs, Ms Woranit assured that they are also priced adequately as the supply is sufficient to meet the demand.
“Although chicken egg prices have increased in some other provinces, Phuket has not witnessed any hikes as vendors are still able to negotiate prices with the farms,” Ms Woranit said.
Phuket’s Commerce Chief explained that chicken egg prices in shops and at markets are subject to the balance of supply and demand. When the demand exceeds the supply, prices go up “following the market mechanism.”
Ms Woranit added that her office will continue conducting regular checks at random retail points three times a week to monitor prices for basic necessities. So far, she said, no intervention is needed from the Phuket office of the Ministry of Commerce.
Ms Woranit also reiterated her standard call to vendors to be honest in their business and not to inflate prices just because there is an opportunity to do so.
In addition to warning against unreasonable price gouging, Phuket Commerce Chief also reminded vendors that they should have clear price tags for all the goods they have for sale so that consumers can make informed decisions when making a purchase.
Complaints about suspected price gouging or a lack of clear price indication can be made via the 1569 national hotline. People can also directly contact the Phuket office of the Ministry of Commerce at 076-212017.
According to the most recent Consumer Price Index report by the Ministry of Commerce, food and non-alcoholic beverage prices in May grew by 3.99% compared to the same month of the previous year and by 0.51% compared to the previous month of this year.
Prices in the “eggs and dairy products” group surged above average, increasing by 5.13% year-on-year and 0.97% month-on-month. These are nationwide figures, while some specific provinces may witness different changes.
The biggest year-on-year increase was registered in the “fresh vegetables” segment, where average prices nationwide surged by 23.48% compared to May 2022.
Prices in the “fresh fruit” segment increased by 6.48%, while “non-alcoholic drinks” gained 4.22%, and “rice flour and flour products” became 3.56% more expensive than one year ago.
The segment of “cooking ingredients” (including vegetable oil) witnessed a drop of 1.21%, while prices of “meat and poultry” declined by 0.88%.
