Rice payments tomorrow

[Lite Beer]

Rice payments tomorrow
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- BAAC arranging Bt55 bn from its reserves and fund; farmers put faith in Prayuth

The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) is preparing a Bt55-billion budget from its reserves and the Farmers Assistance Fund to pay farmers owed under the rice-pledging scheme, starting tomorrow.

BAAC president Luck Wajananawat said as the Constitution has been suspended, the bank could disburse from its reserves and the farmers' fund to pay farmers at the earliest following orders from the National Council for Peace and Order.

The ousted government was able to pay about Bt100 billion to the farmers until now, but another Bt90 billion is still owed to 80,000 farmers. Luck added that the bank would also encourage financial institutions to offer loans for paying outstanding dues to the farmers under the rice-pledging scheme to ensure that every farmer gets his money within 15-20 days.

Meanwhile, Air Chief Marshal Prajin Jantong, who heads the economic ministries, is scheduled to meet high level officers of the Finance Ministry, the Bank of Thailand, and financial institutions. They will discuss urgent economic issues, including finding money to pay farmers, economic stimulus measures and budget disbursement for fiscal year 2014-15. The Thai economy has been seriously impacted by the prolonged political crisis for half a year.

Former Phitsanulok Democrat MP Warong Dechgitvigrom hailed Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha for his swift action to pay farmers the debts the Yingluck government owed them for the rice they had pledged. He said Prayuth had ordered Finance Ministry officials to work during the weekend to clear the long over-due debts within 15-20 days, as farmers across the country faced financial difficulties.

"The Yingluck government designed this policy in a bid to woo voters, corrupted and garnered support from vested-interest groups through the whole process of the pledging scheme,'' he said.

He urged Prayuth to further provide farmers assistance in reducing the cost of fertilisers and pesticides.

Prayuth told Friday's meeting of agency heads that funds had been partly allocated to repay debt owed to rice farmers under the ousted government's rice-pledging scheme. He expressed confidence that within 15-20 days the debts should be repaid.

Kittisak Rattanawaraha, chairman of the Northern Farmer Networks expressed confidence that Prayuth, who is in charge of the country's administration with full authority, would be able to find Bt100 billion for the debt the government owed to farmers.

The caretaker Yingluck government was unable to seek loans to pay farmers for rice pledged under the government's populist scheme due to legal obstacles faced as a result of being a caretaker government.

Kittisak, however, expressed concern that more than 90 per cent of farmers may not have enough money to pay debts. He said during the eight-month period that the caretaker government had failed to pay farmers the money, they were forced to seek shark loans in order to pay for daily expenses and to pay for supplies such as pesticides and fertilisers to continue their rice plantation.

More than 300 farmers from Phitsanulok and representatives of kamnan and village heads of 17 northern provinces submitted a letter to the Phitsanulok governor, showing their support for Prayuth. They thanked Prayuth for his swift action in paying the farmers and his promise to maintain the kamnan and village heads institution in the country's administration.

A group of 20 Chiang Mai residents handed soldiers food and supplies in a show of support to the military at Kalawin camp in Muang district. A group of doctors and nurses in Kalasin also presented food and supplies to soldiers through the Kalasin governor.

Security has been stepped up in Buri Ram at the provincial hall, train station, power stations and bus station to prevent ill-intentioned groups from staging violence.

-- The Nation 2014-05-25

[Centrum]

Determined to drive a wedge between Thaksin and one of his largest group of supporters.

Playing Thaksin at his own game. Interesting.

[Thailand]

This will be the money that was not available to the ex government?

[teetersb]

Good to hear. Been waiting for 6 months

[Roadman]

Well done Khun General Prayuth. One need not say more.

Edited to add well there is actually. It shows truly which person and group in Thailand has the people who are most needy at the center of their hearts. Wake up Issan the Army and this General is the best friend and ally you have going for you.

Edited May 24, 2014 by Roadman

[chadiln]

This will be the money that was not available to the ex government?

Yeah... Ex-govt's credit check didn't get bank's approval. Even if it had been available, you seriously believe it would have reached the farmer's hands?

[Diplomatico]

This will be the money that was not available to the ex government?

Good question, I was wondering the same. I seem to recall (and I may very well be mistaken) that Yingluck tried to make payments recently, prior to her dismissal, to the farmers and was denied by either BoT or Parliament, can't remember which.

Also, and perhaps I don't understand the farmer/rice thing well enough, but if the 'rice pledging scheme' was such an outrageous crime perpetrated by the previous administration, why is it now suddenly okay? Or am I confusing two different issues?

[GuestHouse]

So the number of farmers waiting to be paid is 80,000.

Somewhat adrift of the fork tongued PTP spokesman's claim of only 3000.

Expose more lies expose the <deleted> the nation has been fed by the PTP

[NongKhaiKid]

This will be the money that was not available to the ex government?

Good question, I was wondering the same. I seem to recall (and I may very well be mistaken) that Yingluck tried to make payments recently, prior to her dismissal, to the farmers and was denied by either BoT or Parliament, can't remember which.

Also, and perhaps I don't understand the farmer/rice thing well enough, but if the 'rice pledging scheme' was such an outrageous crime perpetrated by the previous administration, why is it now suddenly okay? Or am I confusing two different issues?

I suppose it can be said this is a debt incurred by the Thai government which still has to be discharged. Imagine the mayhem if the farmers were told they would not be paid.

Next question is will the scheme be scaled back or abandoned completely ?

[idiot farang]

well, now the former government knows what they needed to do to pay the farmers: throw out the constitution! anyone who thinks YS didn't want the farmers paid is too caught up in their own rhetoric to think clearly. they tried but they were blocked at every turn because the yellow's didn't want the farmers paid- much better for them if it was there to drive a wedge in the government's base.

but it sets a super great precedence: want thing done? throw out the constitution.

super.

Edited May 25, 2014 by idiot farang

[Seastallion]

It all sounds good, and I (tentatively now he's dismissed the senate) support that General........but professional soldiers are not economists. I hope he's doing the right thing.

[amerasian]

Absolutely no excuse for not paying the farmers....

[GeorgeO]

This will be the money that was not available to the ex government?

Good question, I was wondering the same. I seem to recall (and I may very well be mistaken) that Yingluck tried to make payments recently, prior to her dismissal, to the farmers and was denied by either BoT or Parliament, can't remember which.

Also, and perhaps I don't understand the farmer/rice thing well enough, but if the 'rice pledging scheme' was such an outrageous crime perpetrated by the previous administration, why is it now suddenly okay? Or am I confusing two different issues?

The money that should have been paid to the farmers mysteriously disappeared, so the ex-government tried to grab replacement funds from anywhere they could find them and were told that they could not extract funds from places such as the bank's liquidity fund.

Nobody has indicated that the rice scam is suddenly okay. It remains an outrageous populist policy which will no doubt be abandoned, or at least drastically reformed.

What General Prayuth is doing is simply making sure that those who were made to suffer from it do not have to suffer any longer...!!

[issanaus]

This will be the money that was not available to the ex government?

Good question, I was wondering the same. I seem to recall (and I may very well be mistaken) that Yingluck tried to make payments recently, prior to her dismissal, to the farmers and was denied by either BoT or Parliament, can't remember which.

Also, and perhaps I don't understand the farmer/rice thing well enough, but if the 'rice pledging scheme' was such an outrageous crime perpetrated by the previous administration, why is it now suddenly okay? Or am I confusing two different issues?

The issue with the rice pledging scheme is that it was supposed to help farmers - but very little ended up in their hands.

The money that they are going to be paid is an out standing debt - that does not mean that the scheme will be continued.

The difference between the payments being made in the situation now is that it is not being paid by a caretaker government to fund its election.

Payment of this money to the farmers serves many purposes - payment of an overdue debt, economic stimulus, reduces social tensions, and makes it easier to return Thailand to some semblance of social harmony.

Now if he makes laws saying that debts due to loan sharks have to be registered and sets up a tribunal to review the terms and conditions of the loans that would be very, very interesting. In part because of who has had the money to be able to lend it!!!!

In my view this may dismantle some of the negative control systems that have evolved over the Shin years.

[jaidam]

I would imagine that the farmers will be so distraught by the dismantling of the cult of Shinawatra, that they will refuse to accept the money from the general. It will be a true test of their love and level of brainwashing achieved.

[Jip99]

This will be the money that was not available to the ex government?

Yep.

This is the bit they couldn't skim off.

[wprime]

This will be the money that was not available to the ex government?

It was always available in the BAAC reserves, but paying it out affects the BAAC's liquidity.

It was illegal for the government to provide a guarantee for the BAAC (as a caretaker government cannot enter into agreements that may have harmful effects on the next government).

Either the army, as the government guaranteed it, or the army guaranteed it from their own finances.

[Seastallion]

"Security has been stepped up in Buri Ram at the provincial hall, train station, power stations and bus station to prevent ill-intentioned groups from staging violence"

Is that sentence from a different article? Where's the connection to rice payments and supporting soldiers?

[casualbiker]

well, now the former government knows what they needed to do to pay the farmers: throw out the constitution! anyone who thinks YS didn't want the farmers paid is too caught up in their own rhetoric to think clearly. they tried but they were blocked at every turn because the yellow's didn't want the farmers paid- much better for them if it was there to drive a wedge in the government's base.

but it sets a super great precedence: want thing done? throw out the constitution.

super.

They didn't try hard enough because as you well know the funds should have been in place BEFORE Yingluck dissolved Parliament. If they weren't she shouldn't have dissolved .. it was her governments responsibility to pay the debt!

But unfortunately responsibility was not really in the PTP dictionary!

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[IMA_FARANG]

Well, I certainly hope they do do pay some of what was promised to the farmers.

But, being cynical, I still don't believe it.

Not that I don't believe the new Junta doesn't honestly mean they want to pay the farmers, but frankly, where is the money going to come from?

If they can actually sell some of the old stockpiled Rice, even from this year's harvest ...... the real problem is that the Rice subsidy is still selling Rice at below market price.... or at least the pledge price they offered.

Maybe I'm a fool, and I don't understand this "new economics", but in my "old economics" if you buy something, then pay to store it for a couple of years, and then sell it for less than you bought it for in the first place ...... aren't you losing money?

Now hasn't that been the real problem of the Rice scheme all along?

So far most of the money allotted for the Rice scheme has been going to the people who have stored the Rice in their warehouses for 3 or 4 years already.

And it has NOT gone to farmers it was supposed to but the Rice merchants who are storing the Rice.

Unless the Rice is sold, those merchants who have the Rice in storage will be the one's who benefit and. as usual not the farmers who produced the Rice.

But, hey, what do I know anyhow.

[smedly]

This will be the money that was not available to the ex government?

Yeah... Ex-govt's credit check didn't get bank's approval. Even if it had been available, you seriously believe it would have reached the farmer's hands?

It's interesting you should mention that, from what I can remember the government got an advance of 20billion from the central budget which was to be repaid once rice had been sold, so that brought the balance of owed money to the farmers down to 70 billion and the 20 billion was repaid to the central budget but they had requested a further 20 billion

why is it that nothing PTP ever did added up - the figures "the few they released" were they lies was it always constant deception or just simple stupidity

[american12bthai]

well, now the former government knows what they needed to do to pay the farmers: throw out the constitution! anyone who thinks YS didn't want the farmers paid is too caught up in their own rhetoric to think clearly. they tried but they were blocked at every turn because the yellow's didn't want the farmers paid- much better for them if it was there to drive a wedge in the government's base.

but it sets a super great precedence: want thing done? throw out the constitution.

super.

your handle name suits you. YL had ZERO intentions of paying farmers... because #1 she had "nothing to do with it" even though she was at the top of the pyramid.

it took more than 5 months to get any money to farmers.

during this time, all their other schemes were paid off/ approved

and why in hell would they want to pass a zillion dollar loan to "improve thailand" but not to pay farmers.

... seriously. .. use your brain.

heres a riddle for you.

what do you say to someone who you owe money too but have no intention of paying?

give up?

"ill pay you later"

Edited May 25, 2014 by american12bthai

[lomatopo]

"The Yingluck government designed this policy in a bid to woo voters, corrupted and garnered support from vested-interest groups through the whole process of the pledging scheme,'' he said.

And it's so good we are adopting it.

[AGareth2]

aprox 100k per farmer

[khwaibah]

aprox 100k per farmer

My wife..150K owed.

[Somtamnication]

Good move by the military. Not only are they driving a wedge between the reds and the farmers, they are actually doing something right by paying these poor people!!!!

[wealth]

I'm not sure but have the gut feeling that the "comission" for the rice pledging was deducted first. Remember Thaksin telling the world in an interview that Thais love him so much so that they sent him 30 billion Baht? - The rest of the "comission" was taken by others invoved. Remember at one point he was in the middle of opening a bank in Hongkong and it went sour when it got exposed ahead?

[smedly]

This will be the money that was not available to the ex government?

Good question, I was wondering the same. I seem to recall (and I may very well be mistaken) that Yingluck tried to make payments recently, prior to her dismissal, to the farmers and was denied by either BoT or Parliament, can't remember which.

Also, and perhaps I don't understand the farmer/rice thing well enough, but if the 'rice pledging scheme' was such an outrageous crime perpetrated by the previous administration, why is it now suddenly okay? Or am I confusing two different issues?

I suppose it can be said this is a debt incurred by the Thai government which still has to be discharged. Imagine the mayhem if the farmers were told they would not be paid.

Next question is will the scheme be scaled back or abandoned completely ?

As I have stated in a post last week

I believe this needs a different approach, the farmers are struggling because of the cost associated with growing the rice - I think there is an organisation (should be investigated) pushing up the cost of materials which in turn pushes up the subsidies required to sustain the farming operation, the money eventually finds it's way to the corrupt front end of the farming industry - I'll bet that if investigated would uncover some very shady goings on and ownership - what a fine position to be in if you owned a fertilizer company and were also part of the government that approved the Rice Subsidy - inflate the fertilizer price and the money just channels right into your own pocket

It's time the lid was blown clean of this whole industry

[smedly]

well, now the former government knows what they needed to do to pay the farmers: throw out the constitution! anyone who thinks YS didn't want the farmers paid is too caught up in their own rhetoric to think clearly. they tried but they were blocked at every turn because the yellow's didn't want the farmers paid- much better for them if it was there to drive a wedge in the government's base.

but it sets a super great precedence: want thing done? throw out the constitution.

super.

it's all in the name

[rebelplatoon]

GREAT! Ok, and NOW put an order in place that stops loan sharking. Make it possible, with military help, to clear debts at 0% interest. These parasites of society have been sucking the blood and adding to the plight of the poor far too long. They are all from rich chinese thai families. Like nim see saeng and what have you in the North. Do it NOW! Stop this evil machinery!