Democrat unveils economic policy aimed at helping farmers and labourers

[rooster59]

Democrat unveils economic policy aimed at helping farmers and labourers

 

 

The Democrat Party on Friday unveiled an economic policy designed to guarantee minimum wages for labourers at no less than 120,000 baht per annum and the minimum price of rice at not less than 10,000 baht per ton.

 

It also seeks to enable the Sor Por Kor (land reform) land documents to be used as  collateral for funding sources.

 

Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva listed bread and butter issue as the biggest problem facing Thai people.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/democrat-unveils-economic-policy-aimed-at-helping-farmers-and-labourers/

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-12-23

[Denim]

Nice. Will really please the shutdown Bangkok yellow shirt brigade. Thaksin thinks, the democrats and junta act.

 

Not really a bread and butter issue though. More of a som dtam and sticky rice one.

 

[Cadbury]

Copying other people's ideas is embedded in Thai genes. Here we see the Democrats copying someone else's rice subsidy scheme. 

If they really want to do something and pay for these subsidies they should propose a "wealth tax" on the 1% filthy rich and distribute it back to the other 99% not so rich and poor. That should have an effect on Thailand's infamous wealth inequality record and balance things up a bit. 

[Enzian]

It's good to see the Democrat party finally thinking about the wealth gap and associated issues. But they need some fresh ideas. An all-out crash attack on rural education, all free for all kids to age 16, compulsory, would be my choice.

[mfd101]

35 minutes ago, Enzian said:

It's good to see the Democrat party finally thinking about the wealth gap and associated issues. But they need some fresh ideas. An all-out crash attack on rural education, all free for all kids to age 16, compulsory, would be my choice.

Yes, but of course for it to be 'compulsory' it would need to be enforced.

[anterian]

2 hours ago, mfd101 said:

Yes, but of course for it to be 'compulsory' it would need to be enforced.

You can take a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.

[mfd101]

Well, that's a counsel of despair. I have a 13-year-old niece who simply stopped going to school a year ago. And what has anyone done about it (including her benighted parents)? Nothing at all. She just hangs around the house all day, looking after the younger children & making eyes at the passing boys ...

[Lupatria]

I told them kids already the truth about Santa, and said: never accept gifts from old men, no matter if they come singing, reciting poems, or show up in funny costumes with shiny guitars!

 

[futsukayoi]

The underlying problem is not that the price of rice is too low.  The real problem is that Thai rice production is very inefficient. Rice yield per hectare is lower than Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Philippines, China etc.  That is despite in many cases more farm workers per hectare.  A lot has been done to open up new land, improve irrigation, farming equipment etc.  However in Thailand fewer and fewer farm workers own their land the rest (85% !!!!) are tenants.  As Japan, South Korea and other countries have shown agricultural productivity and and rural prosperity improve tremendously with land reform to allow farm households to own their land.  They then have the incentive to farm more intensively, choose the mix of crops to maximize their income.  They will also work hard to make improvements as they will benefit not the landlord and carry out improvements.

 

Of course the countries that have done this had effective political leadership which was willing to fight hard for years against the vested interests, middlemen etc for the good of the country.  Some how I do not see such political leadership in Thailand for a very long time.