Rice bill ‘postponed indefinitely’ as champion predicts next attempt will be more difficult

By The Nation 
Piyaporn Wongruang

 

 

A controversial rice bill has been “postponed indefinitely” from deliberation by parliament, the key drafter Kittisak Rattanawaraha announced shortly after the National Legislative Assembly began deliberating the seven laws scheduled for today, including the rice bill.
 

The bill was initially placed at the top of the day’s agenda before the assembly decided to switch it with the second item, deliberation on the anti-market dumping bill.

 

Kittisak told a press conference that before deliberations began, he had met with NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, whip Somchai Sawangkarn, and some others involved in drafting the rice bill. Deliberations for the second and third readings required to pass the bill could not be completed in the time remaining in the NLA's term before the election, they determined. They decided the bill should be postponed indefinitely, with its fate left for the next group of parliamentarians to decide.

 

Kittisak cited strong opposition and frustrations over the opposition given the NLA’s “good intention to protect the farmers’ benefits”. He rejected the notion that the NLA was instructed by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to drop the deliberation, saying it had nothing to do with him. Prayut was called on in an open letter by 32 civil groups in the Northeast on Sunday to help pressure the NLA to drop the bill. The groups also submitted the letter to the NLA president.

 

Kittisak said he had no regrets over being the bill’s key champion, but felt “sorry for it” not being passed under this NLA’s term. It would be more difficult to pass such a bill in the future, he predicted.

 

The rice bill, the first to aim for holistic rice production management in the country, became highly controversial and was rewritten several times before the final draft was finished yesterday.

 

The most controversial point lies in Section 5, concerning zoning and trade in rice varieties. Critics accuse the section of depriving farmers of their rights to access their favoured, and often local, varieties and forcing them to instead buy certified varieties from big agro firms.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30364791

 

 -- © Copyright The Nation 2019-02-26

The most controversial point lies in Section 5, concerning zoning and trade in rice varieties. Critics accuse the section of depriving farmers of their rights to access their favoured, and often local, varieties and forcing them to instead buy certified varieties from big agro firms.

 

This is how the big Firms operate by getting governments to tell the farmers what variety of crop they can grow and have to by from the Firms undoubtably at a premium price . Just ask the American corn growers how their contracts where done its all in the history books .

45 minutes ago, webfact said:

Rice bill ‘postponed indefinitely’ as champion predicts next attempt will be more difficult

Good.

In the very slim hope there may just be something that vaguely resembles a more genuine government. I'm dreaming I'm sure, but if there's a chance it prevents the elite telling the farmers what rice they can and can't grow, it must surely be worth it.

The primary reason for this change in strategy is that the Bill could a huge potential vote loser for the junta's Palang Pracharat Party and their favourite son Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Too much at risk so can that idea; take no chances and just stick to the populist policies and handouts and a debate free election. 

19 hours ago, keith101 said:

Just ask the American corn growers how their contracts where done its all in the history books .

American seed production practices by corn and soybean growers must comply with The Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) that has developed and published genetic purity standards.

• AOSCA is responsible for setting and monitoring genetic purity standards for the various classes of certified seed.

AOSCA has minimum standards for certification requirements for corn and soybeans covering Foundation, Registered and Certified Seed:

(Breeder seed not covered)

It should be noted that the United States has no laws or regulations requiring that only certified seed be sold to farmers. Certification of seed production is optional for seed sold in the US but is usually required for seed sold in other parts of the world, especially Europe.

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9010/fc513324b30610c7224b58bf9a3637b12a1f.pdf

In short the spirit of NLA's rice seed legislation is commendable. But the issues are complex, benefits must better be explained and the stakeholders (growers, mills, exporters) MUST be part of the legislative process. 

20 hours ago, webfact said:

Kittisak cited strong opposition and frustrations over the opposition given the NLA’s “good intention to protect the farmers’ benefits”

Oh so good to hear. NLA has good intentions for the lower class farmers benefits.

 

20 hours ago, webfact said:

He rejected the notion that the NLA was instructed by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to drop the deliberation, saying it had nothing to do with him.

Yeah, I bet politics and losing a small minority of supportive voters never came into consideration. I bet the anti junta spring board effect never had anything to do with it as well. 

20 hours ago, webfact said:

Kittisak said he had no regrets over being the bill’s key champion, but felt “sorry for it” not being passed under this NLA’s term

I feel so sorry for him.