ID :
10066
Mon, 06/16/2008 - 11:46
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/10066
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SLUGGISH START TO GOVERNMENT'S RICE-PLEDGING PROGRAMME
BANGKOK, June 16 (TNA) -The Thai government's new rice-pledging plan,
aimed at shoring up falling paddy prices and containing protests by
farmers, began nationwide Sunday with little action. No farmers join the programme in some provinces.
In the northeastern province of Buri Ram the atmosphere was quiet because no farmers turned up to mortgage rice with the government's Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC).
There are more than 760 rice farmers in the province. Worse still, not a single farmer who grows rice outside the season has registered themselves with concerned government officials. It is believed that majority of the farmers have already sold rice to millers before the programme was launched.
A similar situation was seen in nearby Ubon Ratchathani province when no growers turned up, as the provincial rice production -- estimated at 32,000 tonnes -- has been sold by farmers to millers since late May.
In the northernmost province of Chiang Rai, a miller in Mae Chan district could not buy rice from farmers whose production is expected to be over 50,000 tonnes during this season as the miller has just submitted documents to provincial rice committee. It is expected that the miller could start accepting rice to be mortgaged by farmers this Thursday.
The government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on June 4 announced an allocation of Bt25 billion for the Finance Ministry's BAAC to buy up to 2.5 million tonnes of paddy rice from farmers at the guarantee price of Bt14,000 per tonne, depending on the moisture content.
Meanwhile, Sathit Pitudecha, shadow deputy commerce minister and member of the opposition Democrat Party, said he worries that the government's scheme to guarantee domestic rice prices would fail because concerned government agencies were not yet prepared, only a few millers had joined the programme and farmers would not gain 100 per cent benefit.
Mr. Sathit suggested that the government should disperse cash to farmers immediately after their rice was mortgaged with the BAAC.
aimed at shoring up falling paddy prices and containing protests by
farmers, began nationwide Sunday with little action. No farmers join the programme in some provinces.
In the northeastern province of Buri Ram the atmosphere was quiet because no farmers turned up to mortgage rice with the government's Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC).
There are more than 760 rice farmers in the province. Worse still, not a single farmer who grows rice outside the season has registered themselves with concerned government officials. It is believed that majority of the farmers have already sold rice to millers before the programme was launched.
A similar situation was seen in nearby Ubon Ratchathani province when no growers turned up, as the provincial rice production -- estimated at 32,000 tonnes -- has been sold by farmers to millers since late May.
In the northernmost province of Chiang Rai, a miller in Mae Chan district could not buy rice from farmers whose production is expected to be over 50,000 tonnes during this season as the miller has just submitted documents to provincial rice committee. It is expected that the miller could start accepting rice to be mortgaged by farmers this Thursday.
The government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on June 4 announced an allocation of Bt25 billion for the Finance Ministry's BAAC to buy up to 2.5 million tonnes of paddy rice from farmers at the guarantee price of Bt14,000 per tonne, depending on the moisture content.
Meanwhile, Sathit Pitudecha, shadow deputy commerce minister and member of the opposition Democrat Party, said he worries that the government's scheme to guarantee domestic rice prices would fail because concerned government agencies were not yet prepared, only a few millers had joined the programme and farmers would not gain 100 per cent benefit.
Mr. Sathit suggested that the government should disperse cash to farmers immediately after their rice was mortgaged with the BAAC.
