The Department of Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce, convened a meeting with private sector representatives to set measures controlling the quantity and price of plastic pellets, focusing on five essential daily-use plastic packaging groups. Operators were ordered to report stock and price data weekly to prevent market distortion, while affirming sufficient product supply through July 2026.
Mr. Witthayakorn Maneenet, Director-General of the Department of Internal Trade, revealed after a monitoring meeting, on plastic pellets and plastic packaging, (20 Apr 2026 GMT+7) that the Department of Internal Trade has been implementing the policy of Ms. Supachai Suthumpun, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, who assigned relevant agencies to jointly establish management guidelines to ensure adequate plastic pellet supply and reasonable prices, preventing adverse effects on the public and businesses relying on plastic packaging daily.
The operational approach is divided into three key areas: defining target product groups for oversight, reducing unnecessary plastic use in packaging, and promoting sustainable plastic use through sorting and recycling. Additionally, there is a proposal to establish an integrated committee between government and private sectors to set comprehensive measures covering economic, industrial, and environmental aspects.
For initial oversight, the meeting set five target product groups representing essential items covering over 40% of current usage, including:
1. Plastic boxes,
2. Curry bags and hot–cold bags,
3. Carry bags and general plastic bags,
4. Garbage bags,
5. Agricultural product bags (such as fertilizer bags and sacks).
The Director-General of the Department of Internal Trade added that the department invited plastic pellet producers and sellers, as well as packaging manufacturers, to discuss the suitability of target product groups, supply situation, price levels, and reporting methods to prevent market manipulation or stockpiling, which could violate the Price of Goods and Services Act B.E. 2542 (1999).
Regarding the product situation, the private sector confirmed that the current overall supply of plastic pellets and packaging remains sufficient and is expected to continue at least through June–July 2026. However, prices must be closely monitored due to global fluctuations and international shipping costs.
To ensure effective oversight, the meeting concluded that operators must report data on “plastic pellets” in the target groups every Wednesday, and “plastic pellet usage in packaging production” every 15 days, allowing the Department of Internal Trade to assess costs from upstream to downstream.
The Department expects that reporting operators will cover about 70% of each product group to provide sufficient data for market trend analysis. Subsequently, the discussion results and initial data will be submitted to the Price Control Committee to serve as a basis for ensuring sufficient supply, reasonable prices, and no impact on living costs.
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