The Ministry of Commerce issued an open letter to clarify social media controversies, confirming its commitment to solving structural problems in agricultural products throughout the supply chain—from upstream, midstream, to downstream—following the policy of Suphajee. The ministry is confident this will create balance and fairness in the system.
On 7 May 2026, reporters reported that the admin team of Suphajee Suthumpun’s Facebook page posted an open letter from the Ministry of Commerce. The letter explains facts to correct misunderstandings that have appeared in media and social networks recently, covering six key issues including:
1. The issue of “focusing on immediate problems rather than long-term solutions.” The Ministry of Commerce stated that agricultural product issues have been long-standing, including low yield per rai and most farmers relying on selling fresh produce, which limits shelf life. Prices depend on end markets, so farmers cannot set prices themselves. Additionally, increasing competition from countries like Vietnam and Malaysia in durian markets, as well as counterfeit products like fake coconut water, are structural problems that cannot be solved immediately.
Affirming solutions from upstream to downstream.
The Ministry of Commerce is addressing problems simultaneously: immediate fixes to maintain price balance and long-term structural solutions. Management is divided into three parts:
• Upstream (production): developing planting calendars in advance, zoning areas, and applying technology to reduce costs and increase yields.
• Midstream (processing/transport): supporting processing to absorb excess output, establishing community collection centers to increase bargaining power, and blocking illegal agricultural imports from neighboring countries.
• Downstream (marketing): expanding new export markets, using contract farming for advance sales, and increasing sales channels via online platforms and influencers.
Creating advance durian demand.
2. Durian management: The Ministry of Commerce aims to stimulate demand in advance through online and offline channels to prevent market oversupply and expand into new markets such as the Middle East and Europe. It also cracks down on exploitation by strictly regulating illegal or nominee middlemen, inspecting weighing scales and price suppression, managing immature durians, and collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture to apprehend and suspend licenses of middlemen who sell immature durians.
Maintaining palm oil price balance.
3. Regarding falling palm oil prices and export controls, palm oil management involves balancing three factors: consumption, energy (blending diesel with B20 to reduce transport costs), and exports. Export permission measures are intended for stock checks, not bans; all requests are currently approved, and domestic purchase prices have begun rising following global market mechanisms.
Explaining measures against nominee middlemen.
4. On aromatic coconut and nominee middleman problems: price drops are caused by drought (smaller fruits) and slowed Chinese economy. The ministry has implemented countermeasures:
• Raising prices: rapidly opening purchase points to absorb output, increasing farm-gate prices from 3-4 baht to 9-10.50 baht per fruit.
• Long-term solutions: promoting establishment of “community collection centers” to compete with foreign centers, preparing certification for "100% genuine aromatic coconut water" to block counterfeit products, and cracking down on legal entities suspected of being foreign nominees.
Alleviating fertilizer shortages.
5. On high fertilizer prices and shortages,
The main cause is the Middle East war and China’s export restrictions, which have complicated raw material transportation for fertilizer production:
• Short-term relief: implementing the “Green Flag Economical Plus” project, reducing chemical fertilizer prices by 300 baht per sack for farmers with registration books (green book), up to five sacks, with additional discounts under certain conditions.
• Long-term solution: preparing a co-payment fertilizer program with the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) to custom-make fertilizers tailored to soil conditions in each area.
Organizing product distribution activities.
6. On mango oversupply, the ministry has organized business matching events to attract exporters and importers to sign advance purchase contracts generating over 3 billion baht in value. It also distributes products outside growing areas via department stores, mobile trucks, and the Blue Flag events, preparing for northern mango harvests entering the market soon.
Confident in solving structural problems.
The Ministry of Commerce is confident that addressing structural issues across the agricultural supply chain—from upstream, midstream, to downstream—in phases according to the policy of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Suphajee Suthumpun will create balance and fairness throughout the chain for farmers, entrepreneurs, and consumers. Though achieving success in structural policy efforts or new problem-solving approaches may require time, the ministry is committed to visible improvements.