Ministry seeks help for cyclone victims

Collection boxes would be set up at the Food and Drug Administration, Narenthorn Centre and the Public Health Ministry, Dr Prat Boonyawongviroj said.

The ministry has allocated 30 tonnes of medicine to help Burmese suffering from injuries and infectious diseases in the wake of the natural disaster.

"All medicines will be sent via the Royal Thai Air Force's C-130 plane," he said.

The ministry has also dispatched 20 healthcare teams with doctors, nurses and disease-control experts to assist the health ministry in Burma to treat people.

Tops to help small suppliers

Leading supermarket chain Tops has joined with the Federation of Thai Industries to help small suppliers penetrate modern trade channels.

Chiranun Poopat, senior vice president for buying and marketing at Tops operator Central Food Retail, said yesterday the company would reduce some fees for those SMEs with premium-quality products that meet its requirements.

The company would also provide its management team to develop their products and coach them on marketing and logistics management, she said.

"We will help them improve their products to meet market demand using our database of 3.5 million members of our Spot Reward Card," she said.