The Democratic Party deputy spokesperson advises Supachai and the government not to focus solely on marketing content promoting durians at 100 baht each, arguing that production costs such as medicine, fertilizer, and labor are not covered. He stresses that premium-grade durians cost between 100 and 200 baht per kilogram.
At 16:50 on 28 Apr 2026 at the Democratic Party headquarters, Mr. Pasin Pitutecha, Member of Parliament for Rayong and deputy spokesperson for the Democratic Party, commented on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Supachai Suthammanont's participation in content promoting durians priced at 100 baht each with a famous influencer. This has drawn widespread criticism from durian farmers across Thailand. Initially, he welcomed the high-level government's attention to fruit market problems, noting he had submitted a motion to establish a special committee in parliament to address these issues. However, he expressed concern over the communication about pricing, which psychologically influences market mechanisms by suggesting durians cost 100 baht each, despite eastern durians being premium products with high production costs and actual market prices ranging from 100 to over 200 baht per kilogram. This online portrayal of unrealistically low prices misleads buyers and harms farmers in the long term.
It wounds the hearts of durian farmers.
“Durian farmers love their fruit like their own children. They nurture and care for the crop with great difficulty each year. Hearing the talk of durians at 100 baht each causes them distress because just the costs of fertilizer, medicine, and labor nearly exceed their income. It is undeniable that the Deputy Prime Minister joined the frame promoting durians at 100 baht each. I urge the government to communicate with true understanding of the workers’ hardships. I also offer recommendations to the Ministry of Commerce and government to focus on solving three key structural problems to sustainably improve farmers’ welfare: strict quality control enforcing GAP and GMP standards to maintain Thai durians’ global market standards; resource management, including accelerating water management and resolving land tenure issues where farmers lack legal documentation; and cost reduction through controlling fertilizer and production input prices borne by farmers. While promoting sales image is positive, it must be based on the reality of premium agricultural products so that durian farmers remain motivated to produce high-quality fruit.” The deputy spokesperson of the Democratic Party stated.