Thai Mobile Grocery Shops During COVID-19 Help Farmers

Grocery shops on pick-up trucks

Images adapted from: TECHSAUCE and Thairath

People have been urged to stay at home for their safety during COVID-19. Shopping malls, markets, and grocery stores are also encouraged to be careful with opening their services again to help prevent transmissions of the virus. So, online shopping and delivery service are the main way for people to stock up essentials.

Delivery services are convenient, but come together with extra costs like delivery and transport. Thus, this new mobile grocery shop has become popular with the locals due to cheaper products at convenience of having it sold at your doorstep.

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Image credit: TECHSAUCE

The agricultural sector is considered to be one of the most affected industries after markets had to close amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Many farmers had no place to sell their products and lost their income.

Pick-up trucks are quite popular in Thailand, and it’s what almost every farmer uses for their product deliveries. So, Thailand’s Ministery of Commerce encouraged them to launch mobile grocery shops to bring their products to customers’ houses directly.

Image credit: News CH3 Thailand

Jurin Laksanawisit, the Commerce Minister, revealed on Khaosod English, “This is one way to find work for the agricultural sector. The mobile fruit stores can mobilize into the alleys of residences, so that consumers won’t need to travel too far to do their fruit shopping”.

There are around 350 cars participating in the campaign now. For pick-up cars owners who don’t have their own farms, there are required to spend around ฿8,000 to ฿15,000 to up on stock fruits and vegetables for the expected profits of around ฿2,000 per day.

Image credit: The Yard Grocery

And in the now quiet cafe paradise of Ari, there are hipster mobile grocery shops like The Yards Grocery from The Yard Hostel to check out. This cool little truck is packed with fresh ingredients and other products from local farmers who have nowhere to sell their products during this hard time.

If you are living in the area, you can head down to support them everyday from 4PM. They will drive from Soi Pahonyothin 5 to 7 and then 9.

You may find a motorbike version selling tonnes of products like fruits and veggies too
Image credit: Thairath

Affordable and convenient way to get fresh ingredients

Aside from supporting local farmers, products from these mobile grocery shops are also often cheaper without needing to fork out further service charges and delivery fees.

Moreover, it gives you the option of getting the supermarket experience right at your front door without the need to risk being in crowds like at a grocery store or public transportation.

Look out for any mobile grocery store around your community!

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