Sithipol Blasts Flawed 40-Baht Rice Curry Scheme

On July 15, 2569, Sithipol Wibulthanakaul, a Pheu Thai list MP, commented on Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supachee Paibulwattana's announcement to review the 40-baht rice curry subsidy program designed to ease cost-of-living pressures. While supporting the review and openness to feedback, Sithipol outlined three fundamental problems with Supachee's economic management approach.

First, the program fails to address root causes. Though oil prices have fallen, food costs remain high—a pattern Sithipol said reflects poor economic management. The real issue is oil and energy prices, which must be controlled from the start through taxation or excise measures. Once prices rise and trigger broader inflation, lowering oil prices alone will not reverse inflated costs—a recurring pattern in economic history that the government ignored despite repeated warnings from Pheu Thai.

Second, the program provides minimal help while claiming credit for solving the problem. Sithipol cited the "roving shop" (rót phûm phûang) program as an example: each province received only a few vehicles, helping very few people buy fuel and goods at subsidized prices. The public asks where these shops are, and whether they truly address widespread cost-of-living struggles affecting everyone.

Third, the program does not solve real problems. Notably, few people expressed regret or support when Supachee announced the 40-baht rice curry program's suspension for review—because the program was never seen as genuinely helpful. Consumers still face high living costs and have other food options. Likewise, most merchants feel the program provided minimal benefit, and few would qualify or receive aid for only a few months.

Sithipol urged the minister to reconsider measures that would more meaningfully help restaurants and small businesses, citing unresolved issues with Thailand's "Thai Helps Thai Plus" program that currently benefits only registered business operators.