A beer-loving MP-elect once arrested for illegal brewing is hoping the Move Forward Party’s election victory can help him break up Thailand's alcohol duopoly.
Brewer-turned-politician Taopiphop Limjittrakorn has been fighting to overhaul strict regulations for years, taking on Boon Rawd Brewery and ThaiBev.
After winning the most seats in the May 14 electon, Move Forward this week reached an agreement with coalition partners that includes measures to “abolish monopolies and promote fair competition in all industries, such as alcoholic beverages”.
Mr Taopiphop, 34, gave an interview at his Taopiphop Bar Project on Charoen Rat Road.
Boon Rawd, which makes Singha and Leo beers, and ThaiBev, the brewer of Chang, did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters.
Boon Rawd is owned and controlled by the Bhirombhakdi family, the country’s 15th richest, according to Forbes magazine. ThaiBev was founded by Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, ranked by Forbes as the country’s third-richest person with a net worth of $14 billion.
More than half of the country’s alcoholic drinks market, valued at about 470 billion baht in 2020, consists of beer.
Boon Rawd controls a 57.9% share of the beer market followed by Singapore-listed ThaiBev at 34.3% and Thai Asia Pacific Brewery at 4.7%, according to a February 2022 report by Krungsri Research.
Mr Taopiphop said he was aiming to remove barriers for the alcohol industry that favour big firms like Boon Rawd and ThaiBev.
The aim would be help small domestic brewers gain at least 10% of the beer market within a decade, he said.
“I’m not an extremist,” he said. “I want to drink good beer.”
