The Ministry of Commerce (Abrv: MOC; Thai: กระทรวงพาณิชย์, RTGS: Krasuang Phanit) is a cabinet ministry in the government of Thailand. The Minister of Commerce is a member of the Cabinet of Thailand. The ministry is responsible for trade, prices of important agricultural goods, consumer protection, entrepreneurship, insurance, intellectual property protection, exports, and representing Thailand at the World Trade Organization. The Ministry of Commerce was established by royal command of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) on August 20, 1920, by raising the Department of Commerce and Statistics in the Ministry of Finance to a ministry called the Commerce Dissemination Council. Prince Kitiyakara Voralaksana, the older half-brother of King Vajiravudh was appointed as the first president of the council, with a status equivalent to that of a minister. The ministry moved to its present premises in Nonthaburi in 1989.
Contents
Governance and budget
As of 2020, the Minister of Commerce is Jurin Laksanawisit. His deputy minister is Weerasak Wangsuphakijkosol.
MOC's budget for FY2019 is 6,889 million baht. About one-third of that figure is allocated to trade promotion.
Departments
Administration
Office of the Minister
Office of the Permanent Secretary
Dependent departments
Department of Trade Negotiations
Department of Business Development
Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP): Five offices in Thailand and 61 Thai Trade Centers abroad.
Department of Foreign Trade (DFT)
Department of Intellectual Property (DIP)
Department of Internal Trade (DIT)
Central Bureau of Weights and Measures (CBWM)
Trade Competition Board (1999–2017)
State enterprises
Public Warehouse Organization (PWO)
Public organizations
The Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand (Public Organization)
The Support Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand (Public Organization)
International Institute for Trade and Development