‘Itim’ eagerly awaits tonight’s durian live sale and challenges Deputy Prime Minister Supachai to clarify the issue of selling durians at 100 baht each. He points out contradictory statements about whether the durians are grade A or not, expressing confusion over promotional videos calling them premium while the Commerce Ministry rushes to clarify they are a lower grade durian instead.
On 28 April 2026 at the Parliament, Mr. Parit Watcharasindhu, party-list MP for the People's Party, commented on the opposition coalition’s work during this week’s parliamentary session. He said they will discuss the usual agenda, but the key issue on Wednesday (29 April) will be a motion concerning agricultural product prices, continuing from last week. A major point of debate is the upcoming live broadcast by Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supachai Suthumpun and popular influencer Pimrypie, scheduled for this evening. Representing the public, he voiced durian farmers’ concerns about the live event signaling a price of 100 baht per durian. Farmers worry this could cut or pressure orchard prices lower than they should be, affecting many farmers’ income and livelihoods. After reviewing the Commerce Ministry’s explanations, he still has doubts and wants to ask them directly. Initially, the ministry tried to clarify that the durians in the live sale are not grade A but a high-priced lower grade. However, when he reviewed Pimrypie’s live promotion with Supachai present, he noted repeated use of terms like "premium grade" and "grade A flesh," and the durians looked like grade A or premium grade.
“To be honest, someone is not telling the truth because the Commerce Ministry says the durians are lower grade, but the influencer clearly states they are premium or grade A. Therefore, I want the Commerce Ministry to clarify who is truthful. This morning, a new explanation emerged: the ministry said in an interview that they were not involved with the products sold live, implying they do not know the type or price of the goods. But yesterday, they still stated the durians were lower grade. They can’t claim ignorance because the minister appears in the promotional clip, mentioning quality and price. So, I think society will watch the live sale closely to see how they address the truth and farmers’ concerns.”
Mr. Parit said he wants Deputy Prime Minister Supachai, besides doing the live sale tonight, to allocate time to respond to parliamentary debates. Continuous debate is planned, and he believes this issue will definitely be raised to question the government. Under the constitution and parliamentary rules, ministers can request to explain in parliament. Facing many public questions, this is a good opportunity for the minister to ease farmers’ concerns.
When asked if he would escalate this to a live question session if no explanation is given during tonight’s live sale, Mr. Parit said they must wait and see as there are many issues to investigate. Initially, the live question sessions on Thursday will include one from the government side, one from the People's Party, and one from the Kla Party. The specific topics and question targets must be notified on the morning of the meeting. There are many issues requiring government answers; durian prices are certainly one, but they will wait because there is already a motion on agricultural products.
Asked whether Deputy Prime Minister Supachai is playing image politics by frequently involving influencers and whether this approach is sustainable in the long term, Mr. Parit said he does not see using influencers as inherently wrong but has two concerns: price and the approach to managing agricultural products. Management should be precise; solutions should vary by crop type. For example, mangoes require one approach, durians another. What durian farmers need most is not price control but addressing costs like fertilizer impacted by the energy crisis. He cautioned against applying the same approach to all crops indiscriminately.