Small businesses and households are being urged to reduce their reliance on the state electricity grid and adopt solar power solutions, as global energy price volatility threatens to drive up costs, despite Thailand’s capped power tariffs, according to solar firms.

Producers of bagged rice and bottled mineral water have said they will maintain current prices until the end of April, with any future price changes dependent on developments in the Middle East.

The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) has called on the government to intervene in support of oil middlemen, known locally as “jobbers”, who are struggling to secure supplies from refineries, resulting in a shortage affecting industrial and agricultural sectors, as well as smaller filling stations not affiliated with major retail brands.

Thailand’s 2.9-trillion-baht Social Security Fund urgently needs to reform governance and diversify its investments, two ​of its executives say, after a recent selloff triggered by ‌the Middle East conflict raised a warning about massive loss risks.

The cabinet has instructed the Tourism and Sports Ministry to accelerate efforts to tackle the use of nominees in tourism businesses, including so-called “zero-dollar tours”, as they affect the country’s tourism industry.

The Office of the Cane and Sugar Board (OCSB) expects purchases of sugar cane leaves to more than double this year as Thailand reduces its reliance on liquefied natural gas imports, shipments of which have been disrupted by war in the Middle East.