Democrat Deputy Spokesman Rebukes Supachee for Durian Price Campaign, Despite Participating in 100-Baht-Per-Fruit Livestream Sale
Deputy PM Supachee faced criticism for promoting 100-baht durians online, with a Democrat MP warning the artificially low price damages market credibility and harms farmers whose production costs are much higher.
On April 28, 2025, Rayong MP Passin Pituttecha and the Democrat Party's deputy spokesman addressed the case of Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supachee Suthermphand collaborating with a famous influencer to create content selling durians at 100 baht per fruit, which has drawn extensive criticism from durian farmers nationwide.
The deputy spokesman stated he initially welcomed national-level leadership visiting affected areas to listen to concerns about falling fruit prices, noting he had submitted a motion to establish a special parliamentary committee to address the fruit price crisis.
"What concerns me more is how the pricing communication creates psychological damage to market mechanisms and misleads consumers about market pricing. Eastern region durians are premium-grade products with high production costs and actual market prices around 100-200 baht per kilogram. Presenting unrealistically low prices through online media misleads buyers and harms farmers long-term," the spokesman said.
He emphasized that durian farmers care for their orchards like children, working hard each year, and that when they hear the 100-baht-per-fruit campaign, they're troubled because fertilizer, pesticide, and labor costs alone barely break even.
Regarding Supachee's denial that the sales were the influencer's initiative, Passin stated she cannot deny responsibility since she directly participated in the 100-baht-per-fruit sales livestream.
Passin called on ministers and the government to communicate with genuine understanding of workers' concerns and recommended the Commerce Ministry focus on three structural solutions: (1) strict quality control through GAP and GMP standards to maintain Thai durian global market standards, (2) resource management including water management and land title documentation, and (3) cost reduction through controlling fertilizer and production factor prices.
"While promoting sales imagery is good, it must be based on the reality of premium agricultural products to encourage durian farmers to continue producing quality fruit," Passin concluded.
