Sittipol strongly criticized the '40 Baht Rice Curry' project as a misdirected solution that serves only for show and fails to truly help anyone.
On 15 July 2026, Mr. Sittipol Viboonthanakul, MP from the Pheu Chart Party, commented on Mrs. Supachai Suthammanphun's announcement to review and postpone the '40 Baht Rice Curry' project following heavy criticism. He agreed with the decision to step back and review, but said this project clearly reflects the failures of "Supachai-style economic management" in practical terms.
The Pheu Chart MP stated that the Minister of Commerce claimed the project aimed to ease living costs as oil prices began to fall, but he found it strange that rice curry prices did not decrease accordingly. He warned that once oil and energy prices push product costs up, even if oil prices drop, product prices won’t fall. Economic history clearly shows that the government must control oil prices at the source rather than letting them rise and impact the entire system, then only fixing the symptoms.
Mr. Sittipol added that many current measures appear designed just to show action but in reality help only a tiny fraction of those in need. For example, subsidized green-flag fertilizer reached less than 1% of actual demand, leaving most farmers still burdened by high costs. Platform GP fee reductions helped only about 2,000 operators, while hundreds of thousands to millions remain affected. The mobile vendor vehicle program offers only a few vehicles per province, leaving many citizens without access, prompting questions about the program's visibility.
The Pheu Chart MP noted that after the '40 Baht Rice Curry' project was halted, neither consumers nor vendors expressed regret, clearly indicating the project failed to address anyone’s needs. He suggested focusing instead on real issues such as the 'Thai Help Thai Plus' program, which excludes quality operators from tax benefits simply because their annual sales exceed 1.8-2 million baht (averaging just 5,000-6,000 baht daily), causing these shops to lose customers and bear heavy costs.
"When people ask where Minister Supachai has gone, it’s not out of longing but because they feel the minister’s responsibilities have not genuinely alleviated their hardships. I urge that future economic measures be comprehensive, substantial, and proportionate to the severity of the crisis," Mr. Sittipol said.