Meeting held in anticipation of PM 2.5 resurgence

[webfact]

 

By Namo Vananupong

   

BANGKOK (NNT) - In anticipation of the resurgence of the PM 2.5 airborne dust issue this cold season, the National Environment Board is preparing a communications plan to encourage the public to participate in fighting air pollution.

 

Prime Minister’s Office Permanent Secretary Thirapat Prayoonsithi chaired a meeting of a National Environment Board subcommittee on communicating efforts to address air pollution, which was attended by Pollution Control Department director-general Athapol Charoenshunsa and representatives from relevant agencies such as the Public Relations Department. The meeting was held via video conference.

 

Mr. Thirapat said those at the meeting acknowledged the draft of an ad hoc plan to address the airborne dust problem, which differs significantly from previous plans. The draft plan empowers local agencies to proactively tackle the air pollution issue and drive relevant work and build on the national agenda on climate change as well as on the commitments made by the prime minister at the recent COP26 summit.

 

The permanent secretary said reports indicate that Thailand has been able to limit its greenhouse gas emissions satisfactorily, but the next phase of work will be more demanding.

 

Public Relations Department Deputy Director-General Sudruetai Loetkasem elaborated on the subcommittee’s public relations plan, saying “air pollution” will be the choice word as the phrase sums up the big picture of dangerous pollution. This was a change from last year’s plan and was aimed at using easy to understand language to encourage the public to give its cooperation.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-11-05

 

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[Thailand]

Another committee, another burning season almost upon us as the rains cease.

More talk and little action as usual.

 

Thailand, Low season, high season, burning season!

[Chad3000]

I don't understand. I realize the particulate matter does not stay aloft forever but...

 

Numerous lockdowns over the year in BKK and surrounding provinces. *There was that plastics factory fire which was a massive environmental disaster.

 

Covid hit factories with many shuttered. Supply line issues as well.

 

Traffic along main corridors in out of city has been light..

 

Schools closed all year.

 

Malls closed much if the year.

 

The economy is in shambles. Businesses closed. People unemployed.

 

Why does Bangkok continue to have these health issues?

 

Maybe it's to keep everyone wearing mask muzzles and face diapers outside.

[mikebell]

Stop burning bodies.  Stop broiling chickens on every corner. Get a police force to remove black exhaust emissions and arrest farmers whose fields are on fire.

[dinsdale]

Burning is the cheapest and an effective way for rice farmers to clear the paddy. Rice prices are so low that they're producing at a loss. If anyone can suggest another way I would be interested to know. 

[Tarteso]

Another one news idiocy????
Landowners politicians, the Police themselves, the governors, many of them are relatives of the farmers… Stop meetings to solve NOTHING!

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, dinsdale said:

Burning is the cheapest and an effective way for rice farmers to clear the paddy. Rice prices are so low that they're producing at a loss. If anyone can suggest another way I would be interested to know. 

If they are producing at a loss, what is the point of growing it? Perhaps a change of crop?

[dinsdale]

Just now, jacko45k said:

If they are producing at a loss, what is the point of growing it? Perhaps a change of crop?

To eat.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

In anticipation of the resurgence of the PM 2.5 airborne dust issue this cold season, the National Environment Board is preparing a communications plan to encourage the public to participate in fighting air pollution.

Useless people.

[hotchilli]

54 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Burning is the cheapest and an effective way for rice farmers to clear the paddy. Rice prices are so low that they're producing at a loss. If anyone can suggest another way I would be interested to know. 

Grow something else rather than rice?

[tonray]

'The meeting was scheduled for a hermetically sealed room with external oxygen supply to ensure everyone stays awake"

[BangkokReady]

1 hour ago, dinsdale said:

To eat.

Wouldn't economic principles suggest an oversupply if the price is so low?  Surely the price would reduce the amount being produced, which would then increase the price, until equilibrium is reached? 

 

How is the price able to be at a loss if people need to eat?  If putting the price up meant that people aren't buying the rice, then they cannot be that hungry?  Or is the price fixed by the government?

[dinsdale]

21 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Grow something else rather than rice?

So Thailand should stop growing rice?

[dinsdale]

10 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

Wouldn't economic principles suggest an oversupply if the price is so low?  Surely the price would reduce the amount being produced, which would then increase the price, until equilibrium is reached? 

 

How is the price able to be at a loss if people need to eat?  If putting the price up meant that people aren't buying the rice, then they cannot be that hungry?  Or is the price fixed by the government?

Price is fixed by the govt. Now it's just above Bt5. Was over Bt8 not that long ago.

[BangkokReady]

8 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Price is fixed by the govt. Now it's just above Bt5. Was over Bt8 not that long ago.

Fixed at a low price to shaft the growers?

[hotchilli]

28 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

So Thailand should stop growing rice?

Like any other business in Thailand if you can't sell what you make for a profit then change your product or go out of business.

Farming is a business not a charity case.

If the government meddling or rice millers/supermarkets chains are killing the farmers then push it back on them...

They will soon change when Thai rice is no longer available.

[roquefort]

PM 2.5 ?

 

Does that mean a new, improved version of Prayut has returned from COP26?

[farmerjo]

1 hour ago, BangkokReady said:

Wouldn't economic principles suggest an oversupply if the price is so low?  Surely the price would reduce the amount being produced, which would then increase the price, until equilibrium is reached? 

 

How is the price able to be at a loss if people need to eat?  If putting the price up meant that people aren't buying the rice, then they cannot be that hungry?  Or is the price fixed by the government?

http://www.thairiceexporters.or.th/price_eng.html

[dinsdale]

54 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

Fixed at a low price to shaft the growers?

Yep. The millers buy for the low fixed price and sell on to the retailer. Notice how rice prices at retail haven't dropped.

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, BangkokReady said:

How is the price able to be at a loss if people need to eat?  If putting the price up meant that people aren't buying the rice, then they cannot be that hungry?  Or is the price fixed by the government?

It is fixed by the middle men as proved in the Yingluck fiasco.

Only the middle men made money in the 'Thai rice price fixing scheme'.

[BangkokReady]

3 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

It is fixed by the middle men as proved in the Yingluck fiasco.

Only the middle men made money in the 'Thai rice price fixing scheme'.

Why are the middleman allowed to do this?  Do they have some sort of monopoly, or are they connected to the government in some way?  Can farmers not sell directly to anyone or form cooperatives?

[Live Long and Prosper]

3 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Burning is the cheapest and an effective way for rice farmers to clear the paddy. Rice prices are so low that they're producing at a loss. If anyone can suggest another way I would be interested to know. 

So sow a different crop

[mtls2005]

Wow.

 

This is the first time I remember a recurring issue being acknowledged prior to it becoming a major problem.

 

 

Usually this problem is not acknowledged until the PM 2.5 level hits 300, and the misters are fired up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nojohndoe]

18 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

Why are the middleman allowed to do this?  Do they have some sort of monopoly, or are they connected to the government in some way?  Can farmers not sell directly to anyone or form cooperatives?

Farmers can sell direct but rarely do to any advantage. There are also Co-ops but I am not sure they offer any advantage either except as a source of certified seed.

[Nojohndoe]

17 minutes ago, Live Long and Prosper said:

So sow a different crop

Turnips?

[Xonax]

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

If they are producing at a loss, what is the point of growing it? Perhaps a change of crop?

Many rice farmers grow in order to benefit from the government handouts to rice farmers. Maybe it would be better to pay some of them not to grow?

[dinsdale]

32 minutes ago, Live Long and Prosper said:

So sow a different crop

If you look above you can see my responses to this. 

[Nojohndoe]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Like any other business in Thailand if you can't sell what you make for a profit then change your product or go out of business.

Farming is a business not a charity case.

If the government meddling or rice millers/supermarkets chains are killing the farmers then push it back on them...

They will soon change when Thai rice is no longer available.

Not so simplistic. Many farmers grow rice that if it were to be main source of income certainly would not sustain a living. Many sell the majority of their rice to recoup costs and perhaps some slight profit but retain enough for estimated domestic need which, other than polishing for consumption, is at a fraction of the retail cost others must pay. These same farmers also pursue other means of income. There are also various subsidies and grants paid out to small land holders which are euphemistically deemed to provide sustainable compensation for fixed Government prices.

A lot of rice land is not suitable for profitable alternative cropping and where a lot is also untitled land if farmers were to simply let it lie fallow as a form of protest could see it taken off them as the conditions of use allow in the way Thailand works.

 

 

 

 

[Nojohndoe]

8 minutes ago, Xonax said:

Many rice farmers grow in order to benefit from the government handouts to rice farmers. Maybe it would be better to pay some of them not to grow?

Those handouts do not amount to so much. Millions of people have received as much if not more in populist payments who produce nothing at all !

[Chad3000]

4 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Burning is the cheapest and an effective way for rice farmers to clear the paddy. Rice prices are so low that they're producing at a loss. If anyone can suggest another way I would be interested to know. 

I'm no farmer but I do know that that really damaged is the soil. Therefore, I'm expecting that they're buying a mountain of fertilizer annually.

 

I do have a great deal of empathy and to be honest Farmers have been clearing land like this probably for thousands of years.

 

The issue is now actually the modern world and all its pollutants are competing and adding to this sort of natural way of farming if you will.

 

The burning sxcks and I would never live in the North because of that but I don't blame poor farmers.