The Latest Breaking News from Commerce Ministry

A move to expedite the enforcement of the new daily minimum wage as early as October has added to the debate over what the most acceptable wage rise should be.

Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin is right to vow an increase in the daily minimum wage from Oct 1, instead of next year.

The Commerce Ministry in partnership with 28 partners from both from the public and private sectors on Wednesday embarked on a "Smart Grocery Plus" programme to raise the competitiveness of local grocery shop operators amid stiffer competition in the domestic retail market.

The Employers' Confederation of Thai Trade and Industry (EconThai) is urging the government to base the daily minimum wage calculation on inflation, not politically-motivated factors, as the Labour Ministry plans to enforce the new wage hike in October, which is sooner than originally anticipated.

Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit has ordered the International Trade Promotion Department to speed up the organisation of online business matching with Chinese and Hong Kong importers to boost Thai exports to China after China hit Taiwan with trade curbs amid tensions over the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi…

The continuing rise in energy prices which have raised production costs for manufacturers and the prices of goods has prompted the Commerce Ministry to upgrade the forecast for headline inflation in 2022 to a range of 5.5-6.5% (averaging 6%) from the 4-5% range (averaging 4.5%) projected in March.

Thailand's headline inflation rate slowed in July for the first time this year, helped by government support measures, but the pace was still near a 14-year high, reinforcing a view of an interest rate hike next week.

The Commerce Ministry yesterday awarded certificates to the first 26 companies which have established internal compliance programmes (ICP) that meet criteria prescribed by the ministry to prevent trade activities pertaining to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

The Commerce Ministry has vowed to continue supporting and promoting the digital content industry, aiming to raise 3.5 billion baht's worth of digital content export revenue this year, up from 1.8 billion baht last year.

The Commerce Ministry will lead a trade mission to Saudi Arabia next month to strengthen business partnerships between Thailand and the Middle Eastern country, in a bid to grow Thai exports by 20%.

The Commerce Ministry has vowed to beef up its export promotion plans, with the signing of mini-free trade agreements and the projection of soft power around the world among its objectives.