ID :
10196
Tue, 06/17/2008 - 12:49
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/10196
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MORE GOVERNMENT RICE MORTGAGE CENTRES TO OPEN
BANGKOK, June 16 (TNA) -- Thailand's Public Warehouse Organization (PWO) and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) will establish more rice mortgage centres countrywide to facilitate farmers.
Senior officials of the PWO on Monday met Yanyong Puangraj,
director-general of Internal Trade Department, to assess the
government-sponsored rice-pledging programme, which began nationwide
Sunday aiming to shore up falling paddy prices and containing protests by farmers, and found that activities were quiet as only six centres were established in a total of five provinces – three in the North and two in Central region.
About 60 farmers mortgaged rice amounting 1,000 tonnes in the programme on Sunday, but it is expected that 30 more millers, mainly in those five provinces, would participate in the rice-pledging plan on Monday.
The government expects that about 70 millers would join the scheme this week and buy up to 2.5 million tonnes of paddy rice from farmers.
The government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on June 4 announced the 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 guaranteed price of Bt14,000 per tonne, depending on the moisture content.
BAAC president Thiraphong Tangthirasunan admitted that the first day of the rice-pledging plan was sluggish because many farmers had already sold paddy to millers before the programme started.
Mr. Thiraphong said not many millers joined the programme, probably due to the strict regulations imposed by the government.
Senior officials of the PWO on Monday met Yanyong Puangraj,
director-general of Internal Trade Department, to assess the
government-sponsored rice-pledging programme, which began nationwide
Sunday aiming to shore up falling paddy prices and containing protests by farmers, and found that activities were quiet as only six centres were established in a total of five provinces – three in the North and two in Central region.
About 60 farmers mortgaged rice amounting 1,000 tonnes in the programme on Sunday, but it is expected that 30 more millers, mainly in those five provinces, would participate in the rice-pledging plan on Monday.
The government expects that about 70 millers would join the scheme this week and buy up to 2.5 million tonnes of paddy rice from farmers.
The government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on June 4 announced the 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 guaranteed price of Bt14,000 per tonne, depending on the moisture content.
BAAC president Thiraphong Tangthirasunan admitted that the first day of the rice-pledging plan was sluggish because many farmers had already sold paddy to millers before the programme started.
Mr. Thiraphong said not many millers joined the programme, probably due to the strict regulations imposed by the government.
