The Rice Purchase Scheme

[oldsailor35]

Reading of this again and again, i am not really conversant with this program. I would appreciate if someone could explain it and what are the possibilities of corruption and if so how.

No idiotic reply's please, this is a serious question. If you do not understand, please shut up !

[GuestHouse]

In the first instance the scheme ignores the laws of the market - rice is a globally traded commodity, the price cannot be controlled by a single government.

The scheme guarantees a price above market rate thereby distorting the market. Distortions include, ilegally imported rice being motgaged as Thai rice. Low quality rice being mortgaged as high quality. A massive increase in rice production at higher prices than the market. The cancelling of land leases in favour of the land owner to take up rice production.

Plus increased storage costs, Thai rice becoming unsellable in the open market etc.

On the corruption side: Thinly veiled vote buying, ilegal rice imports, fixing tecords of quantities and quality, scamming uneducated farmers, secret trading of rice at secret prices and I'm certain much more that was written into the scheme.

The simple alternative of openning the market to let anyone and everyone buy rice at the farm gate (pushing up competition and prices at the farm gate) was not even nor never has been considered.

Cui Bono?

[cheechoo]

best is to let the market set prices.

facism never works! no matter how hard imbeciles want it to.