Thailand Loses Top Rice Exporter Title

[culicine]

The next government to come to power will find the coffers empty, massive national debt and millions of tonnes of expired rice.

July 2015.

"Re-elected Puea Thai Party proudly claims it has more unsold rice in storage than any other rice producing nation on earth."

By that time it will be fortified with mould to feed the hungry masses

[Thai at Heart]

Thailand 'loses rank of world's top rice exporter'

I don't understand the fuzz about the title "exporter". It's just one of the many lists in the world and totally not important, except for some people in the Government.

Thailand is # 6 or #7 on the list of Rice PRODUCING countries and small in comparison to India, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Bangladesh and others.

Thailand is able to produce gargantuan amounts in relation to it's population. But you are right, who really benefits from exporting this product cuz somchai in yasothon isn't exactly flush the last time i saw.

[GentlemanJim]

I think the press are trying to get through to the government by method of attrition that Thailand has lost it's position as number one rice exporter. How many times are we going to be fed this headline? We have been told this for 6 months. Is anyone of importance going to take notice?

[rubl]

I think the press are trying to get through to the government by method of attrition that Thailand has lost it's position as number one rice exporter. How many times are we going to be fed this headline? We have been told this for 6 months. Is anyone of importance going to take notice?

As the problem doesn't go away on it's own, time and time again people have to be made aware of this problem till something gets done to correct a situation. In this I do not mean waiting till the rice mountain has moulded away, or urge newspapers to stop publishing embarressing stories.

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed.

[marstons]

I just talked with my wife about this article and her response was "Stupid <deleted> Yingluck! The price of everything is up. With with her 300 Baht a day scheme, people are losing their jobs." Her parents are farmers, she worked for IBM...

Having run some of the countries biggest companies and a bachelor’s degree from Chiang Mai University and master’s degree from Kentucky State University, United States, also a fortune of $17 million she really is stupid. Just wish i was as stupid as her.

[Jimi007]

I just talked with my wife about this article and her response was "Stupid <deleted> Yingluck! The price of everything is up. With with her 300 Baht a day scheme, people are losing their jobs." Her parents are farmers, she worked for IBM...

Having run some of the countries biggest companies and a bachelor’s degree from Chiang Mai University and master’s degree from Kentucky State University, United States, also a fortune of $17 million she really is stupid. Just wish i was as stupid as her.

You don't need to be all that brilliant when you're as connected as she is...

[Jimi007]

I just talked with my wife about this article and her response was "Stupid <deleted> Yingluck! The price of everything is up. With with her 300 Baht a day scheme, people are losing their jobs." Her parents are farmers, she worked for IBM...

"The price of everything is up"

Name me a country where the prices are going down and OF COURSE the rulers ALWAYS get the blame.

Nothing new; everywhere same-same

Like I said before. Fuel prices are less and food is almost the same for many items in California as here. It is 31 Baht a liter for fuel... The earnings disparity is huge.

[backtonormal]

The next government to come to power will find the coffers empty, massive national debt and millions of tonnes of expired rice.

Well if the economic situation is as severe as you make up, then the chances are somewhere down the line this Government will have to deal with it. Whinge as you may its not as if any other party poses a viable alternative to the voting public so unless there is a coup the chances are you are going to spend the foreseeable future writing the same whining messages everyday for the next 10 years. For your health I would try and sit back and see where the country goes. According to a recent interview with Korn, the economy is in good health, but i expect you know more than him....................

The Democrats had quite a good rice subsidy scheme whereby the farmer received a direct payment. It cost alot less than PT's and certainly had less scope for corruption. One can only guess why the present government chose their own disastrous one.

Its about taking power back from the amaat. Why should anybody worry if Thailand is not the top exporter. Being that means you need millions in poverty to sustain top spot. What little cliche is he going after next?

[backtonormal]

The next government to come to power will find the coffers empty, massive national debt and millions of tonnes of expired rice.

Well if the economic situation is as severe as you make up, then the chances are somewhere down the line this Government will have to deal with it. Whinge as you may its not as if any other party poses a viable alternative to the voting public so unless there is a coup the chances are you are going to spend the foreseeable future writing the same whining messages everyday for the next 10 years. For your health I would try and sit back and see where the country goes. According to a recent interview with Korn, the economy is in good health, but i expect you know more than him....................

The Democrats had quite a good rice subsidy scheme whereby the farmer received a direct payment. It cost alot less than PT's and certainly had less scope for corruption. One can only guess why the present government chose their own disastrous one.

That popular scheme did not put them in power again

[backtonormal]

Well if the economic situation is as severe as you make up, then the chances are somewhere down the line this Government will have to deal with it. Whinge as you may its not as if any other party poses a viable alternative to the voting public so unless there is a coup the chances are you are going to spend the foreseeable future writing the same whining messages everyday for the next 10 years. For your health I would try and sit back and see where the country goes. According to a recent interview with Korn, the economy is in good health, but i expect you know more than him....................

No, it would be the next government, and it will be hated by the public for reining in on spending and setting austerity measures to amend the economy. Next cycle the same clique that caused the damage comes around reminding everyone how generous they were when they were in government and so on and so forth.

Everyone likes the free goodies, noone wants to hear that later on they actually have to pay for them with interest.

The next government will be this government without military intervention...end of your story

[backtonormal]

In what company would any employee be able to make such stupid decisions that allowed the company to pay more for a product than they can sell it for, lose so much marketshare that they fell from number 1 to number 3 within 1 year, and still stuffed the warehouse with products with a limited shelf life?

Then make up "phantom" deals that they can't prove and then say they are going to do exactly the same thing next year?

To call the PTP clowns would be an insult to clowns everywhere.

You wont think they are clowns when they hand out 5 million ton of rice to the poor...just before the next election. Thaksin to clever for some farang

[hellodolly]

Thaksin, the criminals rice pledging scheme may have netted him and his syncophants a fortune but it has caused Thailand and the PTP government a massive loss of face and the Thai treasury a massive financial loss so far. The bad news is, its not over yet. With another year of this bad policy to go, one wonders how the PTP will spin this to their advantage.

I think this is all part of Thaksins plan to trade rice for jet's.

[GentlemanJim]

In what company would any employee be able to make such stupid decisions that allowed the company to pay more for a product than they can sell it for, lose so much marketshare that they fell from number 1 to number 3 within 1 year, and still stuffed the warehouse with products with a limited shelf life?

Then make up "phantom" deals that they can't prove and then say they are going to do exactly the same thing next year?

To call the PTP clowns would be an insult to clowns everywhere.

You wont think they are clowns when they hand out 5 million ton of rice to the poor...just before the next election. Thaksin to clever for some farang

You mean the loss from the pledging scheme and the bribe to the poor all out of the tax payers pocket instead of last time when it was out of Thaksin's own pocket.

[backtonormal]

I think the press are trying to get through to the government by method of attrition that Thailand has lost it's position as number one rice exporter. How many times are we going to be fed this headline? We have been told this for 6 months. Is anyone of importance going to take notice?

Editor gets a phone call and complys to his mates

[backtonormal]

In what company would any employee be able to make such stupid decisions that allowed the company to pay more for a product than they can sell it for, lose so much marketshare that they fell from number 1 to number 3 within 1 year, and still stuffed the warehouse with products with a limited shelf life?

Then make up "phantom" deals that they can't prove and then say they are going to do exactly the same thing next year?

To call the PTP clowns would be an insult to clowns everywhere.

You wont think they are clowns when they hand out 5 million ton of rice to the poor...just before the next election. Thaksin to clever for some farang

You mean the loss from the pledging scheme and the bribe to the poor all out of the tax payers pocket instead of last time when it was out of Thaksin's own pocket.

It is a governments job to alleviate the plight of the poor. It also destroys the cornerstone of the amaat.

[Tomtomtom69]

If there is a massive crop failure in India or China then Thailand will make out like a bandit. Otherwise, they will simply have to count on the strength of the Thai economy to bail them out of this mess!

Vietnam was quoted as the number two exporter not China, but having said that if a big country like India were to experience a crop failure, chances are even greater for a small country like Thailand. Similarly, I doubt a massive crop failure in Vietnam wouldn't also affect Thailand in some ways due to geographical proximity, but what we're talking about is purely theoretical and more likely government/trade policies will dictate the outcomes as to which party can dominate rice exports into the future.

[Jimi007]

In what company would any employee be able to make such stupid decisions that allowed the company to pay more for a product than they can sell it for, lose so much marketshare that they fell from number 1 to number 3 within 1 year, and still stuffed the warehouse with products with a limited shelf life?

Then make up "phantom" deals that they can't prove and then say they are going to do exactly the same thing next year?

To call the PTP clowns would be an insult to clowns everywhere.

You wont think they are clowns when they hand out 5 million ton of rice to the poor...just before the next election. Thaksin to clever for some farang

You mean the loss from the pledging scheme and the bribe to the poor all out of the tax payers pocket instead of last time when it was out of Thaksin's own pocket.

It is a governments job to alleviate the plight of the poor. It also destroys the cornerstone of the amaat.

Really? Here it as many other places the government does nothing but empower the rich.

[Rich teacher]

There is a lot of talk of PTP/Thaksin, etc. benefiting financially (as opposed to politically) from the rice pledging policy. Examples include; #2; "Thaksin, the criminals rice pledging scheme may have netted him and his syncophants a fortune..." #8; "just wait till the red snouts have finished feeding at the trough... the only "good health" you will have then will be the toasts around the Shinawatra Banquet table"

Could someone please backup these claims with some evidence please? I thought posts were meant to be backed up by links, facts, quotes, etc.

Edited January 4, 2013 by Rich teacher

[waza]

I just talked with my wife about this article and her response was "Stupid <deleted> Yingluck! The price of everything is up. With with her 300 Baht a day scheme, people are losing their jobs." Her parents are farmers, she worked for IBM...

"The price of everything is up"

Name me a country where the prices are going down and OF COURSE the rulers ALWAYS get the blame.

Nothing new; everywhere same-same

Australia, but maybe it due to the strong $ making imports cheaper

[LaoPo]

I just talked with my wife about this article and her response was "Stupid <deleted> Yingluck! The price of everything is up. With with her 300 Baht a day scheme, people are losing their jobs." Her parents are farmers, she worked for IBM...

"The price of everything is up"

Name me a country where the prices are going down and OF COURSE the rulers ALWAYS get the blame.

Nothing new; everywhere same-same

Australia, but maybe it due to the strong $ making imports cheaper

A friend of mine in Australia complains about the excessive prices in supermarkets versus European (mainland) prices.

So how much for a bag of Thai Jasmine Pandan rice of let's says 20 Kgs?

In The Netherlands one pays E 28,95 + 6% VAT = Euro 30,69/20Kgs

That's Euro 1,53/KG or Baht 40/KG or AUD 1,25/KG

What about in OZ?

Edited January 4, 2013 by LaoPo

[Roadman]

In what company would any employee be able to make such stupid decisions that allowed the company to pay more for a product than they can sell it for, lose so much marketshare that they fell from number 1 to number 3 within 1 year, and still stuffed the warehouse with products with a limited shelf life?

Then make up "phantom" deals that they can't prove and then say they are going to do exactly the same thing next year?

To call the PTP clowns would be an insult to clowns everywhere.

You wont think they are clowns when they hand out 5 million ton of rice to the poor...just before the next election. Thaksin to clever for some farang

You mean the loss from the pledging scheme and the bribe to the poor all out of the tax payers pocket instead of last time when it was out of Thaksin's own pocket.

It is a governments job to alleviate the plight of the poor. It also destroys the cornerstone of the amaat.

Alleviate the plight of the poor? By giving them last seasons mouldy rice instead of a direct payment of cash for their new seaons crop?

Edited January 4, 2013 by Roadman

[Roadman]

I just talked with my wife about this article and her response was "Stupid <deleted> Yingluck! The price of everything is up. With with her 300 Baht a day scheme, people are losing their jobs." Her parents are farmers, she worked for IBM...

"The price of everything is up"

Name me a country where the prices are going down and OF COURSE the rulers ALWAYS get the blame.

Nothing new; everywhere same-same

Australia, but maybe it due to the strong $ making imports cheaper

A friend of mine in Australia complains about the excessive prices in supermarkets versus European (mainland) prices.

So how much for a bag of Thai Jasmine Pandan rice of let's says 20 Kgs?

In The Netherlands one pays E 28,95 + 6% VAT = Euro 30,69/20Kgs

That's Euro 1,53/KG or Baht 40/KG or AUD 1,25/KG

What about in OZ?

Would also add New Zealand which has had only a 0.8% increase in CPI for 12 months ended Q3, the lowest for years.

The price of Thai Jasmine rice here is falling from last year of approx. $NZ60 for a 22.7kg (50lb) bag to around $53 to $55.

The compeition here is not from the India's or Vietnam's but from American and Aussie rice at $35 to $40 for a 22.7kg bag.

The top $$$ guarented by thai rice in the NZ market is for that sold as "this seasons crop". This corrupt mess that Pheau Thai are selling is benefiting no one but them and their stoogies.

[OzMick]

There is a lot of talk of PTP/Thaksin, etc. benefiting financially (as opposed to politically) from the rice pledging policy. Examples include; #2; "Thaksin, the criminals rice pledging scheme may have netted him and his syncophants a fortune..." #8; "just wait till the red snouts have finished feeding at the trough... the only "good health" you will have then will be the toasts around the Shinawatra Banquet table"

Could someone please backup these claims with some evidence please? I thought posts were meant to be backed up by links, facts, quotes, etc.

It has been widely reported that the rent charged on rice growing land increased markedly since the subsidy was announced, not an unexpected event as rent is based on ability to pay. Generous people might assume that PTP were too stupid to realise that this may happen, and that it would undermine their policy.

Less generous people might point out that Thaksin,Yingluk and many members of this government, own large areas of land which they rent to rice farmers, and if their rents have increased, they have directly benefitted from a policy of their own making. That conflict of interest may not have been obvious (to the intentionally obtuse), but was certainly apparent when the policy was extended despite its appalling lack of success in its stated aim - to raise the income of poor farmers.

Not declaring a Conflict, or recusing oneself from decision making, is a clear case of corruption in office.

[waza]

I just talked with my wife about this article and her response was "Stupid <deleted> Yingluck! The price of everything is up. With with her 300 Baht a day scheme, people are losing their jobs." Her parents are farmers, she worked for IBM...

"The price of everything is up"

Name me a country where the prices are going down and OF COURSE the rulers ALWAYS get the blame.

Nothing new; everywhere same-same

Australia, but maybe it due to the strong $ making imports cheaper

A friend of mine in Australia complains about the excessive prices in supermarkets versus European (mainland) prices.

So how much for a bag of Thai Jasmine Pandan rice of let's says 20 Kgs?

In The Netherlands one pays E 28,95 + 6% VAT = Euro 30,69/20Kgs

That's Euro 1,53/KG or Baht 40/KG or AUD 1,25/KG

What about in OZ?

Cant get it, its all rotting in Thai warehouses, but for Aussie Jasmin, Sunrice Medium Grain Rice at Coles. 10KG for $15

Jasmine Rice Organic Australian 25kg = $153.45

Edited January 4, 2013 by waza

[Moruya]

There is a lot of talk of PTP/Thaksin, etc. benefiting financially (as opposed to politically) from the rice pledging policy. Examples include; #2; "Thaksin, the criminals rice pledging scheme may have netted him and his syncophants a fortune..." #8; "just wait till the red snouts have finished feeding at the trough... the only "good health" you will have then will be the toasts around the Shinawatra Banquet table"

Could someone please backup these claims with some evidence please? I thought posts were meant to be backed up by links, facts, quotes, etc.

Were you asleep when the Dems brought all this up in Parliament including Arisman's wife being a major beneficiary?

[OzMick]

It will be easy for Thailand to regain its #1 exporter position, all they have to do is accept whatever price they can get for their deteriorating stockpile. But there will be a downside, such as huge losses of government revenue, accusations of dumping and possible retaliation from other rice producers.

[lovetotravel]

There is a lot of talk of PTP/Thaksin, etc. benefiting financially (as opposed to politically) from the rice pledging policy. Examples include; #2; "Thaksin, the criminals rice pledging scheme may have netted him and his syncophants a fortune..." #8; "just wait till the red snouts have finished feeding at the trough... the only "good health" you will have then will be the toasts around the Shinawatra Banquet table"

Could someone please backup these claims with some evidence please? I thought posts were meant to be backed up by links, facts, quotes, etc.

This has been widely reported here and in other news sources. Google is your friend. Try "Thailand rice policy corruption". Read a few articles and then get back to us.

I'll help you a bit:

http://thediplomat.com/2012/11/10/rice-piles-how-thailand-lost-its-spot-as-worlds-top-rice-exporter/

[Roadman]

There is a lot of talk of PTP/Thaksin, etc. benefiting financially (as opposed to politically) from the rice pledging policy. Examples include; #2; "Thaksin, the criminals rice pledging scheme may have netted him and his syncophants a fortune..." #8; "just wait till the red snouts have finished feeding at the trough... the only "good health" you will have then will be the toasts around the Shinawatra Banquet table"

Could someone please backup these claims with some evidence please? I thought posts were meant to be backed up by links, facts, quotes, etc.

It has been widely reported that the rent charged on rice growing land increased markedly since the subsidy was announced, not an unexpected event as rent is based on ability to pay. Generous people might assume that PTP were too stupid to realise that this may happen, and that it would undermine their policy.

Less generous people might point out that Thaksin,Yingluk and many members of this government, own large areas of land which they rent to rice farmers, and if their rents have increased, they have directly benefitted from a policy of their own making. That conflict of interest may not have been obvious (to the intentionally obtuse), but was certainly apparent when the policy was extended despite its appalling lack of success in its stated aim - to raise the income of poor farmers.

Not declaring a Conflict, or recusing oneself from decision making, is a clear case of corruption in office.

The same sort of stupidity has just happened here with the introduced ETS policy for carbon credits. Reasoning was that polluters would pay for their polluting by way of cash credits to invest in more forests to soak up more carbon. As if landowners did not see that coming and accordingly land purchase price and rental costs went up. The farmer sees his meagre increased return (less than what was promised by the governement set prices it seems from most accounts) soaked up by the new Shinawatra Amart and their cronies.

Mind they do have their picture of the beloved Chairman Mao "Dubai Crim" and their ฿500 each 4 years to kept them content.

[edwinchester]

The next government to come to power will find the coffers empty, massive national debt and millions of tonnes of expired rice.

Well if the economic situation is as severe as you make up, then the chances are somewhere down the line this Government will have to deal with it. Whinge as you may its not as if any other party poses a viable alternative to the voting public so unless there is a coup the chances are you are going to spend the foreseeable future writing the same whining messages everyday for the next 10 years. For your health I would try and sit back and see where the country goes. According to a recent interview with Korn, the economy is in good health, but i expect you know more than him....................

The Democrats had quite a good rice subsidy scheme whereby the farmer received a direct payment. It cost alot less than PT's and certainly had less scope for corruption. One can only guess why the present government chose their own disastrous one.

That popular scheme did not put them in power again

Yes not popular enough but widely recognised as being well thought out, less susceptible to corruption and actually putting the money in the hands of farmers.

Edited January 5, 2013 by edwinchester