Hundreds of food shops in Bangkok to start charging between 25-35 baht a dish on Friday

[KamalaRider]

I'm baffled one here is talking about the hike in prices.

For example pork the last couple of years.

2006 pork minced meat costed 65 THB, now it's 166 THB. 

There must be a (bunch of) middleman(mens) making a fortune. 

I haven't heard of any of the pig farmers getting such a raise for the pork they are producing.

[KamalaRider]

This is really stupid. If the military through the various ministries insist on price controls for foods, one of two things will happen.

Either portion sizes will get smaller for the same price making no savings at all for consumers. OR, the vendors will use substandard foods like rotten meat or food tainted with chemicals or products from unnatural farming practices - which is worse.

Let the market decide the prices and the people will decide what they want to consume.

When I hear all of these stupid changes the military are doing it's like roll back to 2006 all over again!

Thailand isn't based on market economy, is it!

[VINCENT2012]

i bet the clever military ones who give that measure to raise vegetables, to raise chicken, ducks and pigs and then after to pay a rent to the mall , buy salt, peper and quimical staff and then make food for 25 baths.

 

i wish them good luck...first they wont make money, second i guess customer will realize they eat only shit for that price...and it is worse paying a little bit more to get something decent.

 

this is a totaly stupid idea like the anterior  government wanted the people to sell the eggs by kilos instead of by dozens.

it has been a disaster

 

ps:if they want to reduce the price they have to ask the factorys todo it not the normal sellers...but anyway ...to raise something  has a cost and this is a chain complicated tgo brake

Edited August 6, 2014 by VINCENT2012

[wilcopops]

 

so....some kind of magic or just interfering with market forces? A populist measure if ever I saw one....or is it the government's intention to take control of the entire food chain from paddock to platter?........this is a grand plan and historically famously fraught with problems...v. China under Mao and Russia under Stalin.

 

 

Edited August 6, 2014 by wilcopops

[Otis]

 

 

so....some kind of magic or just interfering with market forces? A populist measure if ever I saw one....or is it the government's intention to take control of the entire food chain from paddock to platter?........this is a grand plan and historically famously fraught with problems...v. China under Mao and Russia under Stalin.

 

 

 

 

Sounds like it is just for city folks (Bangkok).  Favor for a diverse political constituency?  No such thing as a free lunch but, an artificially market price reduced lunch?  That's a workable plan.  Just not free market pure.  just sayin' oc
 

[12DrinkMore]

I'm baffled one here is talking about the hike in prices.

For example pork the last couple of years.

2006 pork minced meat costed 65 THB, now it's 166 THB. 

There must be a (bunch of) middleman(mens) making a fortune. 

I haven't heard of any of the pig farmers getting such a raise for the pork they are producing.

Pork is traded as an international commodity.

 

http://www.indexmundi.com/commodities/?commodity=pork&months=120

 

The local prices are determined to an extent by the international market for pork.

 

For whatever reason, I do not follow this market, the little piggies are fetching an all time high at the moment.

[wilcopops]

 

 

 

so....some kind of magic or just interfering with market forces? A populist measure if ever I saw one....or is it the government's intention to take control of the entire food chain from paddock to platter?........this is a grand plan and historically famously fraught with problems...v. China under Mao and Russia under Stalin.

 

 

 

 

Sounds like it is just for city folks (Bangkok).  Favor for a diverse political constituency?  No such thing as a free lunch but, an artificially market price reduced lunch?  That's a workable plan.  Just not free market pure.  just sayin' oc
 

 

 

 

how long do you think the food vendors of Bkk are going to tolerate selling their food at an artificially cut price dictated by the government?

 

Edited August 6, 2014 by wilcopops

[desmondspencer]

25-35 bht?? For factory canteens I believe.. For farangs, be prepared for the 99.99 thb

Sent from my LG-D505 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[12DrinkMore]

25-35 bht?? For factory canteens I believe.. For farangs, be prepared for the 99.99 thb

Sent from my LG-D505 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

You are taking the dual pricing too far.

 

I have only once experienced dual pricing in a restaurant. And they have already changed their policy and menu.

[MW72]

 

Does it really need to be a government project? Here in Chiang Mai there are already plenty of places to eat a meal for 25 to 35 bath (even 15 and 20 B is possible).

Yes agreed, in Lampang this will result in price increases

 

I thought there was some rule against populist policies, oh wait. Now I remember, just populist policies from the wrong people

 

I agree also. In Wang Chin you can get a meal for 20 or 30 Baht. Even in Bangkok you can get a cheap meal. You just need to eat at the same place the locals do. Prices in the city are always higher, as are salaries. Leave it to the market to sort out. If poor people can't afford to eat then pay them higher salaries and let them choose where to spend the money.

[GAZZPA]

I believe our eloquent farang friends have never been in need. So what is the problem if tax payers help poorer people to get cheaper food?????????

Some of us are just insane here. 

Is that what this policy will do? 

 

Or, are the restaurants going to have the same people in them as the day before but now paying less for their food?

 

I am all for lifting people out of poverty and as for people starving then of course any policy that stops that from happening is right,, I am sure everyone would agree with that. My issue with the policy is I do not see how it will work. If the government starts to subsidise materials for the restaurants then it will be everyone who benefits, it will not just be the poor. Also, it is just hiding the real cost of the food and sooner or later it will hurt the people who are struggling.

 

Perhaps a better option will be to issue food vouchers to those who are genuinely in need. Then the government doesn't have to subsidise all the food, it just targets the really needy which will be money better spent. 

[thairastawoman]

I used to think that this shiiite Thai food is overpriced, 50 baht for noodles is crazy and I have no plan to plan these farmers trucks, so I dont pay any Thai dish more than 30 baht ! This is all they are worth, included bacteria and dust !

 

 

[CNXTim]

Methinks someone needs a lesson in how business actually works.

 

HINT it is called "competition in a free market".

 

By all means, if there is any rice available from the ill advised and poorly managed pledging scheme - open it for sale to the market at large at a sensible price for immediate consumption and let a free market work it out.

 

Over-government from people without a clue - stick to what is important for better government and leave a free, competitive market to simply work.

 

[Loptr]

A simple fact of economics, price controls do not work... In this case, who is going to subsidize the markets supplying these 'low cost' raw materials? 

[GeorgeO]

 

I believe our eloquent farang friends have never been in need. So what is the problem if tax payers help poorer people to get cheaper food?????????

Some of us are just insane here. 

Is that what this policy will do? 

 

Or, are the restaurants going to have the same people in them as the day before but now paying less for their food?

 

I am all for lifting people out of poverty and as for people starving then of course any policy that stops that from happening is right,, I am sure everyone would agree with that. My issue with the policy is I do not see how it will work. If the government starts to subsidise materials for the restaurants then it will be everyone who benefits, it will not just be the poor. Also, it is just hiding the real cost of the food and sooner or later it will hurt the people who are struggling.

 

Perhaps a better option will be to issue food vouchers to those who are genuinely in need. Then the government doesn't have to subsidise all the food, it just targets the really needy which will be money better spent. 

 

This is Thailand ... if they issued food vouchers, the country would be flooded with counterfeit versions of them within days...!!

[Maggusoil]

Seem to remember Thaksin Shinawatra introducing a similar 15 baht scheme when in office
I really miss his forward thinking ideas
I'm sure the country would be in a far stronger position in every way if he had not been illegally forced out
OK he was corrupt. Pretty well every politician Worldwide is guilty of some form of corruption
It's whether the net benefits to the country outweigh the cost of the corrupt practices
This scheme looks superficially laudable, but I'm sure operating it will be fraught with difficulties
Let 'the market' determine the cost of a meal.

 

Politics. The art of doing corrupt things without appearing to do them.

Thaksin was just not subtle enough.

Power does that. When you're powering ahead, you forget to look over your shoulder.

[mike324]

It is possible to sell for 25-35 baht per plate, but perhaps just not for some in Bangkok who need to rent spaces. There are numerous small mom and pop shops that are already selling or 25-35 baht per plate, only the ones that cater to office workers have prices set around 45 to 50 baht.

[xenophon]

Diocletian tried similar about 2000 years ago and found that inflation was more powerful than being a general

[Loptr]

Diocletian tried similar about 2000 years ago and found that inflation was more powerful than being a general

 

As Venezuela is learning all over again...

 

And the same for Panama paying the price of using the USD for legal tender... 

[pchansmorn]

It's simple if you can't afford to eat out, then cook at home, why make the the vendors suffer.

[millwall_fan]

so this is the latest of the army's populist policies designed to garner support from the poor. It brings into sharp focus that the overthrow of the elected government had nothing to do with ending 'populist policies' and everything to do with restoring the proceeds of corruption to the Elite.