Amnuay Patise, director of Thai Sugar Terminal, yesterday said Khon Kaen Sugar Industry, Thai Alcohol and Petrogreen had stopped production. "We have more than 11 million litres of ethanol in stock," he said at a meeting with officials at the Energy Ministry.

The authorities are still to decide whether octane-95 petrol sales should be scrapped. To date, it has moved towards allowing sales while promoting gasohol consumption.

As octane-95 sales continue, oil retailers have refused to stock up on ethanol, leading to the oversupply situation.

Retaliation call

Shrimp farmers yesterday urged the government to block Australian dairy products as retaliation against that country's recent decision to impose strict sanitary measures that make it almost impossible to sell their products there.

Ekapoj Yodpinit, chairman of a shrimp farmers' association in Surat Thani, said associations from Krabi, Satun, Pattani, Rayong and Trang had recently written to the Agriculture Ministry and Public Health Ministry calling for retaliatory measures. "The government should inspect to see whether there are contaminants in Australian milk. If it is the case, the government should ban the imports," he said.

Mall campaign

The Mall Group has launched a summer campaign for all outlets including Paragon Department Store and The Emporium, offering 10-30 per cent discounts and summer travel packages. The Bt100-million campaign targets sales of Bt5 billion at The Mall outlets, Bt1.5 billion at The Emporium and Bt2.5 billion at Paragon. The Emporium will also join with Chic Channel and Thai Life Assurance in hosting the Emporium Summer Paradiso swimsuit show on March 8.