Angry rice farmers to demand their rice back as Thai govt defaults on payments

[webfact]

Angry farmers to demand their rice back as government defaults on payments
Sayan Chucham,
Surachai Piraksa
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- Phichit-based farmers are planning to take their rice back from the government's rice-pledging scheme today because it has delayed the payment for far too long.

"We want our harvest back now. It can be sold for money elsewhere," Prakasit Jamjumrus said yesterday as he led a group of protesters to block a key road in the province. Farmers in several other provinces are also planning to stage roadblocks in their hometowns and join the anti-government rallies in Bangkok if payments are delayed further.

Prasit Booncheuy, president of the Thai Rice Farmers Association, said yesterday that farmers who had pledged their rice under the scheme want to be paid by January 25.

"If the government fails to meet this deadline, the farmers will close down roads in their provinces and will also join the People's Democratic Reform Committee [PDRC] rallies in Bangkok," he said.

Prasit was speaking after attending a discussion with representatives of farmers from Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram and Prachuap Khiri Khan.

Kessara Daengdee, a 43-year-old farmer from Phitsanulok, said she had received a certificate to claim Bt350,000 under the rice-pledging scheme since October last year. "But the money has still not arrived," she said.

As of press time, about 3,000 farmers had blocked most lanes of traffic on Highway 117 at the Pho Sai Ngarm intersection in Phichit's Bung Narang district. Farmers from nearby provinces, namely Nakhon Sawan, Kamphaeng Phet, Sukhothai and Phitsanulok, also joined the protest.

Siwaroj Jitniyom, who chairs Kanchanaburi's Tambon Nong Sarai Farmer Group, said the delayed payment had seriously affected farmers' lives. "Without this money, they have to turn to loan sharks to cover their daily expenses," he said, adding that his group had raised the issue with the governor of Kanchanaburi earlier and had been promised the payment by January 15. "But that deadline has passed and no money came to the farmers," he said.

In Buri Ram, a group of rice farmers joined PDRC supporters who were protesting in front of the provincial hall, saying they were angry about the delay in payment for their pledged rice.

Prasit said caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her Cabinet should be held responsible for this.

In a related development, caretaker Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong said at a press conference that the government had proceeded with the scheme for two years now, buying rice for four seasons and paying out a total of Bt680 billion.

He insisted that every baht spent on the scheme had gone into farmers' hands through the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC). The government has also released rice from its stockpiles and earned Bt200 billion from its sale. "The government will continue selling rice," Kittiratt said, adding that it would also secure funding, be it from the state budget, BAAC's liquidity or loans, to pay the farmers.


-- The Nation 2014-01-18

[CraigSchuler]

Play time over?

[Nowhereman60]

I don't blame them. Give them back their rice.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

He insisted that every baht spent on the scheme had gone into farmers' hands through the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC).

MR. White lies in action again!

[NongKhaiKid]

A Up, there's trouble at (rice) mill

[Mosha]

They might not like what they get back,

[khwaibah]

Do the words liar and thief mean anything.

[jaidam]

Remarkably satisfying. Seeing these <snip> that swallowed every lie from the PTP, and were quite happy to trouser honest people's tax money to sell rice at rip-off prices get their come-uppance. Serves you lot right! Just remember the damage runs far deeper than your problems this year over non-payment as the reputation of Thai rice is shot, and will take at least a generation to recover. You will pay dearly for your greed and ignorance, now suck it up and quit whining.

Edited January 18, 2014 by soundman

[Nowhereman60]

Do the words liar and thief mean anything.

Suthep

[Mosha]

Do the words liar and thief mean anything.

Suthep

The rice scam problems have bugger all to do with Suthep.

[hughben]

I thought they had planned to march in on Bangkok on the Monday the 20th?

[NongKhaiKid]

Can you imagine rice farmers being taken to warehouses being shown the rice mountains and being told if they can positively identify their on rice they can have it back ?

[saltandpepper]

I don't blame them. Give them back their rice.

That's a bit easy, isn't it?

They have been starving thanks to this corrupt government that did not keep promises, and now the farmers can eat their rotten rice?

[saltandpepper]

Do the words liar and thief mean anything.

Suthep

try again with some persons with a name starting with shin and finishing with watra

[Nowhereman60]

I don't blame them. Give them back their rice.

That's a bit easy, isn't it?

They have been starving thanks to this corrupt government that did not keep promises, and now the farmers can eat their rotten rice?

Add some salt and pepper to it will give it some flavor.

[Tatsujin]

Can you imagine rice farmers being taken to warehouses being shown the rice mountains and being told if they can positively identify their on rice they can have it back ?

It's ok, they'll just be given back the mouldy, rat infested crap that's been stored incorrectly and can't be sold. Lots of that about apparently.

[JoeThePoster]

Angry rice farmers to demand their rice back as Thai govt defaults on payments

They can have it back when they pay the govt for the extra weevils. There's gonna be absolutely no freebies.

[noitom]

Thai rice. We saw people boycotting Thai rice in a very large market in the US.

[Bluespunk]

"In a related development, caretaker Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong said at a press conference that the government had proceeded with the scheme for two years now, buying rice for four seasons and paying out a total of Bt680 billion.

He insisted that every baht spent on the scheme had gone into farmers' hands"

Liar.

[Mosha]

"In a related development, caretaker Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong said at a press conference that the government had proceeded with the scheme for two years now, buying rice for four seasons and paying out a total of Bt680 billion.

He insisted that every baht spent on the scheme had gone into farmers' hands"

Liar.

But sometimes you have to tell white lies to make people feel better.

[Ricardo]

There's the current pain for the unpaid or late-paid rice-farmers, due to the government (or its Big Thinker overseas) having planned & financed this scheme badly, but that's just the start of their problems.

There are massive stocks of deteriorating rice, held in the government's warehouses, which will have to be sold-off at-a-loss or dumped at-a-further-cost, and the losses written-off.

There are the rice-stocks which exist only on-paper, nobody in government is mentioning those, and the taxpayer isn't allowed to know about it.

There's the likelihood of further long-term damage to the former reputation of Thai fragrant-rice being good quality, as those stocks are disposed-of, and reduced-demand in future from the long-term purchasers who've switched permanently to India or Vietnam or other sources-of-supply.

There's the fact that much of the scheme has been finance by the government or BAAC selling short/medium-term bonds, which will still need to be repaid with interest, so the money will have to be found from other sources-of-revenue to repay the debts generated by the scheme. What other spending-plans will have to be cut, to fund this, medical or education or social or infrastructure. I wonder ?

The government defaulting on payment to the poor farmers over the past few months, is merely the beginning of the eventual pain, which will be felt by both the poor rice-farmers & the country's taxpayers, which is just about everyone else involved in the money-economy.

But by then the current PTP-led coalition-government, and the family who have gained too-much control over it, will have long departed the scene.

[ginjag]

A Up, there's trouble at (rice) mill

EE by gum, an it's all cause o them in thy places, the givin us nowt.

[Mosha]

To quote a paragraph from Ricardo

"There's the likelihood of further long-term damage to the former reputation of Thai fragrant-rice being good quality, as those stocks are disposed-of, and reduced-demand in future from the long-term purchasers who've switched permanently to India or Vietnam or other sources-of-supply. "

I think sabotage can be added to the pending charges against the DL in Dubai

Edited January 18, 2014 by Mosha

[BSJ]

When I heard about the rice pledging scheme I said it was madness and that it would damage the country...not just the rice market. Now we see the damage and sadly there is more to come.

[ramrod711]

Do the words liar and thief mean anything.

Suthep

In Buri Ram, a group of rice farmers joined PDRC supporters who were protesting in front of the provincial hall, saying they were angry about the delay in payment for their pledged rice.

Prasit said caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her Cabinet should be held responsible for this.

According to the farmers, it is the government, specificaly Yingluck that lied to them. Nice try though, shoot the messenger, you know, the guy who is blowing the whistle on these crooks.

[JRSoul]

"It can be sold for money elsewhere,"

Roadside stalls, Ebay, Facebook even? I have to wonder how much real money Kessara's B350,000 claim will turn into when she tries to sell it on the open market, if she can find one.

[Mosha]

"It can be sold for money elsewhere,"

Roadside stalls, Ebay, Facebook even? I have to wonder how much real money Kessara's B350,000 claim will turn into when she tries to sell it on the open market, if she can find one.

I was thinking, give them all an export licence, it just might teach them rice economics.

ps I know it's not practical.

Edited January 18, 2014 by Mosha

[slapout]

"It can be sold for money elsewhere,"

Roadside stalls, Ebay, Facebook even? I have to wonder how much real money Kessara's B350,000 claim will turn into when she tries to sell it on the open market, if she can find one.

If you were holding a piece of paper that had been devalued and the issuer of that paper had not honored it for the promised cash, which had also lost real purchasing power, or return of the product which you could consume and the non farmers were paying double, what you were promised at the local super markets , what would your choice be?

The real problem Kessara has, is getting her rice returned, as the inventories do not match with bought, exported, stored, etc and the group that issued the paper (PTP members/supporters/cronies are running, hiding, or hold immunity.)

[belg]

that will teach them to not blindly believe lies from who they voted into power

[SOTIRIOS]

...and then what.......???