Bangkok: The Commerce Ministry is taking significant steps to enhance small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by facilitating their shift to online platforms, subsidizing shipping costs, and distributing consumer coupons. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, Supajee Suthamphan, announced these initiatives following a special cabinet meeting aimed at reducing living costs and bolstering entrepreneurial capabilities.

According to Thai News Agency, the government has collaborated with over 300 businesses, ranging from small to large retailers and wholesalers, to lower the prices of more than 3,000 essential consumer goods by up to 58% across all 77 provinces. This initiative seeks to alleviate the financial burden on citizens. Furthermore, the Cabinet has approved a budget to support the transition of SMEs to broader markets, initially targeting 2,000 entrepreneurs with plans to expand this number to 10,000 by the year-end.

In collaboration with Thailand Post Mart, NextGen, TikTok, and Shopee, the Ministry of Commerce is waiving gross profit fees and subsidizing shipping costs, ensuring that consumers do not incur shipping expenses. This allows businesses to operate at full capacity. Additionally, 500,000 discount coupons, valued at 100 baht each, have been distributed to boost consumer spending and enhance revenue for small businesses.

The government is further extending access to affordable goods through the Blue Flag project, increasing sales points by over 500 nationwide. The initiative also includes expanding the network of mobile vendors from 2,000 to 5,000 to improve the distribution of goods in rural and remote areas.