60 billion baht needed to help Thai farmers for new crops

[tingtongteesood]

Should not give the farmers anything. The price of rice is the price of rice, If the market forces are such that rice is not profitable, grow something else or change jobs....ALL the government should give is free advice and a job centre....

[thumper101]

Sod the farmers.

They are the ones who 'through their own greed' voted in the people who wrecked the rice industry.

Don't help them.... Thay have made loads of money they were not entitled to over the past 2 or 3 years...

When they were paid out 8 months late, they were still being paid the Thaksin populist amount for their rice... I would have just paid them market price for what they pledged.

They will never be willing to learn the best and most advanced way of increasing production in a smaller plot of land, thus saving costs... They find it much easier to stick their hand out.

To make a year long living as a rice farmer, you need about 20 rai minimum to get enough to live on through the year. The past few years they have been making an almighty killing from that land. In comparison to say a factory worker on 6,000 a month taking home onle 72,000 a year farmers were making twice that under the scheme... So what was there for the factory worker?..... what subsidies do they get?????.... nothing.

If you can't earn enough money to feed your family at rice farming, then don't do it... find something you CAN feed your family on... It aint rocket science.... you are just far too LAZY to do it.... rice is the lazy man's crop... a few months a year working, the rest of the time sat in the shade asleep.

Edited June 16, 2014 by thumper101

[ggt]

I smell new opportunity for corruption...hope military has more success with these programs than the elected officials...

[coma]

If you can't earn enough money to feed your family at rice farming, then don't do it... find something you CAN feed your family on... It aint rocket science.... you are just far too LAZY to do it.... rice is the lazy man's crop... a few months a year working, the rest of the time sat in the shade asleep.

And waiting for the moment their offspring are old enough to get a job [tax free] in Pattaya.

Edited June 16, 2014 by coma

[Thai at Heart]

Sod the farmers.

They are the ones who 'through their own greed' voted in the people who wrecked the rice industry.

Don't help them.... Thay have made loads of money they were not entitled to over the past 2 or 3 years...

When they were paid out 8 months late, they were still being paid the Thaksin populist amount for their rice... I would have just paid them market price for what they pledged.

They will never be willing to learn the best and most advanced way of increasing production in a smaller plot of land, thus saving costs... They find it much easier to stick their hand out.

To make a year long living as a rice farmer, you need about 20 rai minimum to get enough to live on through the year. The past few years they have been making an almighty killing from that land. In comparison to say a factory worker on 6,000 a month taking home onle 72,000 a year farmers were making twice that under the scheme... So what was there for the factory worker?..... what subsidies do they get?????.... nothing.

If you can't earn enough money to feed your family at rice farming, then don't do it... find something you CAN feed your family on... It aint rocket science.... you are just far too LAZY to do it.... rice is the lazy man's crop... a few months a year working, the rest of the time sat in the shade asleep.

Have u ever really been out to a farming village? Most westerners wouldn't last a week working like these people do.

U go to issan, look at the soil in most of it and conjure up something that grows well there. These people haven't been taught any other way and the exporters have been laughing to the bank for decades.

Be careful the farmers don't start really feeling anappreciated.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Thai at Heart

[Fat Haggis]

Very interesting to read some of the comments, not 3 months ago, there was nothing but pity and apathy for the plight of the farmers, and now it's back to normal as in "<deleted> you greedy bastards"

Wasn't the key to change in the swing in the possible vote through these very same farmers, and now the consensus is, they've been paid, "Stuff them!!"

Everyone could see what was needed, and the farmers had a few tough years ahead of them, with no subsidies, if they get nothing from the Junta,good luck trying to convince them to vote anything but the PTP/UDD if there's ever any elections again. As you can bet that Thaksin will find another way to exploit them and garner their votes.

Yesterdays heroes are today's villains

[Soutpeel]

My solution, the military should freeze all the Shin,s assets worldwide and take the cash they need out of this

You clearly dont know alot about financial markets then

I can just see it now with general Prayuth calling some asset management firm in Switzerland - "hello Sir we want confiscate all the monies of your best customer, me Thai army"

Some of you guys need to leave the country more and realise that outside Thailand these guys have zero clout and authority, hell even in some areas of Thailand they have zero clout and authority.

I think Soutpeel just wanted to express that he genuinely dislikes the Shinawatras (source of all evil and all, very fancy these days). I am certain he knows that the idea is ridiculous. If not, even better. :-)

Soutpeel was attempting to make witty remark, but I forgot to add a smiley for our sense of humour disabled members

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed. This is not about the Taliban or opium.

[moe666]

Very interesting to read some of the comments, not 3 months ago, there was nothing but pity and apathy for the plight of the farmers, and now it's back to normal as in "<deleted> you greedy bastards"

Wasn't the key to change in the swing in the possible vote through these very same farmers, and now the consensus is, they've been paid, "Stuff them!!"

Everyone could see what was needed, and the farmers had a few tough years ahead of them, with no subsidies, if they get nothing from the Junta,good luck trying to convince them to vote anything but the PTP/UDD if there's ever any elections again. As you can bet that Thaksin will find another way to exploit them and garner their votes.

Yesterdays heroes are today's villains

I do not often agree with you but this post is spot on, most of the posters are just reactionary they have to have something to complain about without thinking. I often wonder how many of these guys even live in Thailand.

[tullynagardy]

My solution, the military should freeze all the Shin,s assets worldwide and take the cash they need out of this

You clearly dont know alot about financial markets then

I can just see it now with general Prayuth calling some asset management firm in Switzerland - "hello Sir we want confiscate all the monies of your best customer, me Thai army"

Some of you guys need to leave the country more and realise that outside Thailand these guys have zero clout and authority, hell even in some areas of Thailand they have zero clout and authority.

I think Soutpeel just wanted to express that he genuinely dislikes the Shinawatras (source of all evil and all, very fancy these days). I am certain he knows that the idea is ridiculous. If not, even better. :-)

Soutpeel was attempting to make witty remark, but I forgot to add a smiley for our sense of humour disabled members

Go and look up the definition of wit would be my advice to you sir

Anyway, got to love the way when it was PTP not paying the farmers it was "the poor farmers, someone think of the f***ing farmers for gods sake" and now they are gone the same names are basically saying "let them f****** starve"

I genuinely cant think of any civilised country that doesnt subsidise its farming industry. The CAP subsidies of Europe are a staggering $30 billion a year whilst the USA pays even more than this to its farmers annually. Put simply (as quite a few yellow bellys on here cant handle anything more complex) no nation wants to stop growing things, a stable and plentiful indiginous food market is imperative. This doesnt even take into account the social implication of suddenly having millions of unemployed.

Thailand is no different. It doesnt matter whether its a military dictatorship, a corrupt crook in Dubai or a posh English chap nick named Mark - Thailand will subsidise its farmers going forward.That is not the issue, the issue is how to do it in a practical and corruption free way.

One of the first policies such money should enact is re starting the scheme PTP had to encourage these people to change crops to rubber etc.

[BSJ]

Sod the farmers.

They are the ones who 'through their own greed' voted in the people who wrecked the rice industry.

Don't help them.... Thay have made loads of money they were not entitled to over the past 2 or 3 years...

When they were paid out 8 months late, they were still being paid the Thaksin populist amount for their rice... I would have just paid them market price for what they pledged.

They will never be willing to learn the best and most advanced way of increasing production in a smaller plot of land, thus saving costs... They find it much easier to stick their hand out.

To make a year long living as a rice farmer, you need about 20 rai minimum to get enough to live on through the year. The past few years they have been making an almighty killing from that land. In comparison to say a factory worker on 6,000 a month taking home onle 72,000 a year farmers were making twice that under the scheme... So what was there for the factory worker?..... what subsidies do they get?????.... nothing.

If you can't earn enough money to feed your family at rice farming, then don't do it... find something you CAN feed your family on... It aint rocket science.... you are just far too LAZY to do it.... rice is the lazy man's crop... a few months a year working, the rest of the time sat in the shade asleep.

"If you can't earn enough money to feed your family at rice farming, then don't do it... find something you CAN feed your family on... It aint rocket science.... you are just far too LAZY to do it.... rice is the lazy man's crop... a few months a year working, the rest of the time sat in the shade asleep." I'll get my missus to translate that to the workers up in the village.....on second thoughts, they will leave us and go looking for this mythical farm village you talk of.

[chotthee]

Since Thailand have so much rice is stock and could not sell, the army should consider ban rice planting for a couple of years.

[Leung Falang]

My solution, the military should freeze all the Shin,s assets worldwide and take the cash they need out of this

"Dear Heads of State,

please be advised, you are requested to send all the Shin-money in your country to my account at the TMB, or else...

your cooperation is appreciated

best regards

the General"

joking aside, it must come as a huge disappointment for all the "<deleted> the poor - no subsidies"-supporters that the military will continue the rice scheme under a different name. I guess, they are caught in the "we are the good guys"-pr-trap or the military was informed that certain players have money invested in rice-production...

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Most countries subsidize farmers. How about France or the USA? Government could help the transition from farming to industry with proper polices, but we should not expect much for quite awhile. Farming in much of the northeast is a 3 month job with 3 months watching rice grow.... my in-laws are farmers in the Northeast....

[jope]

My solution, the military should freeze all the Shin,s assets worldwide and take the cash they need out of this

"Dear Heads of State,

please be advised, you are requested to send all the Shin-money in your country to my account at the TMB, or else...

your cooperation is appreciated

best regards

the General"

joking aside, it must come as a huge disappointment for all the " the poor - no subsidies"-supporters that the military will continue the rice scheme under a different name. I guess, they are caught in the "we are the good guys"-pr-trap or the military was informed that certain players have money invested in rice-production...

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Most countries subsidize farmers. How about France or the USA? Government could help the transition from farming to industry with proper polices, but we should not expect much for quite awhile. Farming in much of the northeast is a 3 month job with 3 months watching rice grow.... my in-laws are farmers in the Northeast....

In Germany there are subsidies for farmers since 1871 (surprising, isn't it?) Almost half of the EU-budget goes into subsidies for farmers.

But as Tullinagardi mentioned: who wants to rely on other countries when it comes to food production and who wants millions of farmers to be unemployed and wants to wait until the market has sorted it out? Me neither!

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Skywalker69]

My solution, the military should freeze all the Shin,s assets worldwide and take the cash they need out of this

The farmers will die of hunger as the Shins net value is around B 50 billion, they are only the 10th richest family in the country. You must remember that this B 60 bn they are talking about is only for 1 crop, there are 2 crops per year, thus +-B 120 bn per year will be needed.

Shins net value is around B 50 billion

What about all the money they hidden around the World?

[jope]

My solution, the military should freeze all the Shin,s assets worldwide and take the cash they need out of this

The farmers will die of hunger as the Shins net value is around B 50 billion, they are only the 10th richest family in the country. You must remember that this B 60 bn they are talking about is only for 1 crop, there are 2 crops per year, thus +-B 120 bn per year will be needed.

Shins net value is around B 50 billion

What about all the money they hidden around the World?

Well, how much is it then? And what difference will it make, if they are the fourth ord third or second richest family???

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[doctorproc156]

My solution, the military should freeze all the Shin,s assets worldwide and take the cash they need out of this

Shins assets about 2-5 billion, - CPB, Privy council, Military general assets about 40-50 billion.

Edited June 16, 2014 by anantha92

[DrDweeb]

My solution, the military should freeze all the Shin,s assets worldwide and take the cash they need out of this

Shins assets about 2-5 billion, - CPB, Privy council, Military general assets about 40-50 billion.

Citation needed for the second assertion

[Robby nz]

One of the downsides of the pledging scheme was that the land owners and chemical companies got in for their chop by raising their prices (90% of land in TL is owned by 10% of the people).

Meaning the farmers costs went up, world rice prices have now gone down but costs are still higher than before the scheme started.

What the announced help is apparently trying to do is address the (inappropriate) high costs, I would think on a temporary basis, rather than just hand the farmers money.

So what is the alternative at present ?

Leave the farmers to get deeper in debt ?

Those who advocate just growing something else obviously have no idea what that entails, not so easy and anyway much of the next rice crop is already in the ground.

There are costs involved in changing crops and there also needs to be the infrastructure in place to handle other crops most of which have a lead in time greater than rice which means no income till the crop matures.

There needs to be a lot of serious thought on just what can and will happen from here on in and it will need time to do this and major input from farmers.

[Payboy]

60 billion baht are needed to shore up the prices of new rice crops

That will shore up the prices of imported cars too, yes.

[doctorproc156]

My solution, the military should freeze all the Shin,s assets worldwide and take the cash they need out of this

Shins assets about 2-5 billion, - CPB, Privy council, Military general assets about 40-50 billion.

Citation needed for the second assertion

Citation needed for first assertion as well, official accounts show that Thaksin is only worth about 1 billion now. The great leader himself is worth 30 billion alone, my statement wouldn't be too far of a stretch of the imagination.

Edited June 16, 2014 by anantha92

[selftaopath]

I think I'm gonna lock up my business, vacate my luxury condo, sell my benz and

go be a Thai farmer.... I mean those guys can't do anything wrong, every body

want to throw billions at them every time I turn my computer on...

And all the while I wonder how much time actually involves WORK i.e. weekly/monthly/yearly. I live in a village and again will mention I see a lot of able bodied men lounging in hammocks daily. I also wonder how many farmers contributed to the stealing of funds/rice from the Shin rice scheme? I suspect more than the 6 reported recently.

[taff33]

Sod the farmers.

They are the ones who 'through their own greed' voted in the people who wrecked the rice industry.

Don't help them.... Thay have made loads of money they were not entitled to over the past 2 or 3 years...

When they were paid out 8 months late, they were still being paid the Thaksin populist amount for their rice... I would have just paid them market price for what they pledged.

They will never be willing to learn the best and most advanced way of increasing production in a smaller plot of land, thus saving costs... They find it much easier to stick their hand out.

To make a year long living as a rice farmer, you need about 20 rai minimum to get enough to live on through the year. The past few years they have been making an almighty killing from that land. In comparison to say a factory worker on 6,000 a month taking home onle 72,000 a year farmers were making twice that under the scheme... So what was there for the factory worker?..... what subsidies do they get?????.... nothing.

If you can't earn enough money to feed your family at rice farming, then don't do it... find something you CAN feed your family on... It aint rocket science.... you are just far too LAZY to do it.... rice is the lazy man's crop... a few months a year working, the rest of the time sat in the shade asleep.

[/quote

I think a " few months" working in the rice fields would do you a power of good.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[billd766]

One of the downsides of the pledging scheme was that the land owners and chemical companies got in for their chop by raising their prices (90% of land in TL is owned by 10% of the people).

Meaning the farmers costs went up, world rice prices have now gone down but costs are still higher than before the scheme started.

What the announced help is apparently trying to do is address the (inappropriate) high costs, I would think on a temporary basis, rather than just hand the farmers money.

So what is the alternative at present ?

Leave the farmers to get deeper in debt ?

Those who advocate just growing something else obviously have no idea what that entails, not so easy and anyway much of the next rice crop is already in the ground.

There are costs involved in changing crops and there also needs to be the infrastructure in place to handle other crops most of which have a lead in time greater than rice which means no income till the crop matures.

There needs to be a lot of serious thought on just what can and will happen from here on in and it will need time to do this and major input from farmers.

A voice of common sense.

Just how many of the posters on this thread are actually farmers of any sort, let alone living on a farming income.

If you think it is easy just to change crops then think again. Where I live the land is unsuitable for rice being stony, hilly and no water to spare for irrigation so around here the main crop is man saparang or sugar cane. 10 km down the road where it is flat and there is some water for irrigation they grow one rice crop per year.

At home we have a lot of fruit trees such as mango, jackfruit, pomelo, custard apple, pineapple, bananas etc which don't need irrigation. However they are seasonal fruits and are subject to seasonal prices and as all the fruit trees in the area are harvested around the same time the price drops accordingly.

We have rented out 15 rai to 2 separate farmers to grow man saparang as they can make a profit using family labour (and salary) where we had to hire in what we needed. Even with 15 rai of our own land if we had to just rely on that for income we would be broke before the first crop even came in.

Before all you nay sayers and doom and gloom merchants shout about farming subsidies (call it what you want, I don't care) just try living in a farming community and try working and living the way that farmers do for a while and then come back and report what a great and rich life the farmers lead.

[billd766]

My solution, the military should freeze all the Shin,s assets worldwide and take the cash they need out of this

Shins assets about 2-5 billion, - CPB, Privy council, Military general assets about 40-50 billion.

Citation needed for the second assertion

Citation needed for first assertion as well, official accounts show that Thaksin is only worth about 1 billion now. The great leader himself is worth 30 billion alone, my statement wouldn't be too far of a stretch of the imagination.

What about this report about Thaksins finances then?

Today, Thaksin remains highly energetic and presumably still ambitious, having built up a second, wide-spanning business empire, which includes $30 million invested in African mining ventures.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/thailands-self-exiled-ex-pm-may-never-return-home

Or this one from 30 October 2012

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timferguson/2012/10/30/qa-thaksin-sits-down-with-forbes/

Q. Have you ever got your money from the Shin Corp process back?

I got back part of it, about $1 billion… That’s why I have money to invest.

[phutoie2]

Just how many of the posters on this thread are actually farmers of any sort, let alone living on a farming income.

Are foreigners allowed to be farmers in Thailand, is it not on that list of jobs only Thais can do?

Not all farmers are dirt poor, bloke across the road from me has 600 rai of sugarcane. Owns a nice Isuzu truck, has plenty of Kubota stuff and sent his daughters through university. I know only one example, but my Mrs has a favourite saying "Thai people have money too"., when I'm going off on one.

[marcusd]

stupid idea just wasting more tax money...whats the FED saying ....oh yes "too big to fail"

The USA AND the EU subsidise farming heavily.

Lay off the Thais who have no social security safety net.

So what would you do? Burn them all now to reduce productivity?

[selftaopath]

what a huge waste of money

if they want to continue to be farmers,

then they should pay for their own needs

grow their crops

and sell it for market prices

we have seen in the recent past the proping prices does not work

if the cannot make a living growing rice, then grow something else

It is no wonder the Bkk middle and upper class hate the northern farmers.

their tax money is given to the farmers

Agree. One might argue that if one does not want to change or learn then they will resist everything. Also one might observe an easy life of (paying women) planting rice.... waiting for it to grow (hire women), cut the rice etc. Oh and buy a new hamock.

[selftaopath]

what a huge waste of money

if they want to continue to be farmers,

then they should pay for their own needs

grow their crops

and sell it for market prices

we have seen in the recent past the proping prices does not work

if the cannot make a living growing rice, then grow something else

It is no wonder the Bkk middle and upper class hate the northern farmers.

their tax money is given to the farmers

Agree. One might argue that if one does not want to change or learn then they will resist everything. Also one might observe an easy life of (paying women) planting rice.... waiting for it to grow (hire women), cut the rice etc. Oh and buy a new hammock.

[harrry]

what a huge waste of money

if they want to continue to be farmers,

then they should pay for their own needs

grow their crops

and sell it for market prices

we have seen in the recent past the proping prices does not work

if the cannot make a living growing rice, then grow something else

It is no wonder the Bkk middle and upper class hate the northern farmers.

their tax money is given to the farmers

Agree. One might argue that if one does not want to change or learn then they will resist everything. Also one might observe an easy life of (paying women) planting rice.... waiting for it to grow (hire women), cut the rice etc. Oh and buy a new hammock.

A comment that sounds as if it comes from someone who is an expert in paying women.