Thai netizens express support for rice farmers online

[webfact]

 

By Natcha Patanasophon

 

On Tuesday, the hashtag #ม็อบชาวนา (farmer protest) went viral as hundreds of protesters called for debt forgiveness and to look into corruption allegations.

 

Rice farmers have been protesting near Government House since January 24. They also demand that the government stop financial institutions from utilizing creditors from filing lawsuits that could have their assets seized if they can’t pay off their debts. 

 

Many farmers are also concerned with an increase of agricultural prices, claiming that without support, many of them won’t survive. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaienquirer.com/38045/thai-netizens-express-support-for-rice-farmers-online/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Enquirer 2022-03-01

 

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[robblok]

I sympathize with the farmers, but debt should be paid. They should either get money from the government, but the financial institutions are within their rights to claim collateral. 

 

If the government wants to do something, then they should pay the debt. But to ban financial institutions from getting their loan payments or collateral is unfair. Legally the farmes have to pay. 

 

The only way i see it is for the government to pay but not to have banks take the hit. 

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

Many farmers are also concerned with an increase of agricultural prices, claiming that without support, many of them won’t survive. 

I guess cheap labour and local employment means no harvesting machine?

Thailand stuck in the dark ages, 

[BangkokReady]

Big demand for magic money trees in Thailand. Reliance on tourism backed subsidies for too long?

[poskat]

they should just say what the real problem is.

 

without any tourism for 2 years, the cash flow from the farmers' daughters "working" in bangkok, pattaya, and phuket has dried up. 

 

I'll bet that the number of girls getting married to a foreign guy and getting the family access to his wallet has dropped precipitously as well.

 

without this additional money flowing in, the farmers cant make it just on the money from the rice sales.

[edwinchester]

Being a rural rice farmer growing on a handful of rai is a miserable existence so it's no wonder you only see the older guys behind their iron buffalo's now. They're screwed on price for raw materials then screwed on what price they get when selling to the rice mill. Couple that with the erratic opening of irrigation canals and it's a wonder anyone continues. In our village the canals have been closed for over 3 months now despite ample water stocks so the farmers have lost a crop and a third of their annual pay from rice.

 

[rickudon]

Here in Isaan, rice is a once per year crop. F-in-L got just 3 bags from the one field he planted last year (worth probably under 2,000 baht). It cost more than that to plough, sow and harvest. Also all his pigs (about 8 ) died. He does have a pension (a massive 800 baht a month, as now 80) so he can buy food with his 27 baht a day.......

 

Good job he has 4 children.