Better rice policies needed

[Lite Beer]

Better rice policies needed
THE NATION

Farmers speak out at forum

BANGKOK: -- AT THE FIRST Citizens' Forum for Reform, farmers made it clear that deep down they yearn for sustainable solutions - not rice-pledging schemes or crop-price guarantees.

"We hope all stakeholders will be engaged in formulating long-term national rice policies, something politicians can't change," Farmers' Network Association president Rawee Rungrueang said.

"We want something like a national economic and social development plan for farmers," he said.

Held in Nakhon Sawan this week, the event was part of a mobile-seminar initiative born out of a collaboration between Krung-thep Turakij newspaper and the NOW26 TV station. Both organisations are under Nation Multimedia Group (NMG).

The first seminar was held under the theme "Farmers' Sustainability is Thailand's Sustainability".

Rawee said farmers who ran into trouble were those who had acted in response to government policy.

"Farmers in two other main groups, namely those in contract farming and self-reliant farmers, are doing fine," he said.

Rice Department adviser Pramote Wanitchanont said it was high time the rice industry was reformed to ensure that the development of quality rice and those who cultivate it become the focus - not price.

Pramote said a strategy should be drawn up to solve poverty and protect farmers from unfair pricing, disasters and exploitation. He believes the country's rice crisis took place because the public was left out of the policy-making process.

He suggested establishing a committee comprising representatives from various groups and having no political involvement to take care of rice matters and ensure that the majority benefits.

"Politicians would be only management people who carry out rural people's consensus," he added.

NMG chairman Suthichai Yoon invited the participants to attend the next forum, in which strategies for the proposed rice committee would be discussed.

Suthichai said the outcomes from this week's forum would be passed on to policy-makers.

The input included a call by Somporn Isvilanonada, of the Knowledge Network Institute of Thailand, for rice to be viewed as an economic crop.

Somporn said it should be based on an industrial thinking system involving marketing, cost-cutting and a central market establishment, which would help farmers in the long run.

Nakhon Sawan Chamber of Commerce chairman Komkrit Thammaratrakul called for the promotion of farmers' ability to compete in the world market and use education to create a new generation of farmers.

A team from the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives proposed the "three reductions, three additions" road map for the nine lower North provinces from 2014-2018.

The reductions were for costs, risk and chemical use on soil, while the additions were for farming efficiency, soil preparation and seed selection, and produce value.

Biothai director Witoon Lianchamroon wants a goal set to promote organic farming, especially high-quality and environmentally friendly rice, and for a solution to the high cost of renting land to be found.

Sumeth Laomoraphorn, chief executive officer of International Trading Business at Charoen Pokphand Group, urged farmers to strengthen cooperative systems for bargaining power.

Earth Net Foundation vice chairman Tawatchai Tositrakul said many people now ate organic rice and this helped promote farmer sustainability as they would always have buyers for the produce.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Better-rice-policies-needed-30237210.html

-- The Nation 2014-06-28

[iphad]

Thailand is known for rice...the world needs rice...

Quality rice over quantity is the best course for sustainability....

Tough business being a farmer hope it works out.

[iReason]

Yes. Policies. Not "schemes".

[FangFerang]

This is the second or third time this exact same story has been posted.

Why?

[tingtongteesood]

If rice doesnt make money change jobs or grow something else. Problem solved. That was easy....

[seajae]

farmers need to leave fields fallow every so often so that they do not destroy the soil, push planting using chemicals to replace the minerals needed to grow crops is not the answer because eventually this will start to effect the crops as they have recently with the push to grow more rice. When farmers refuse to eat their own grown rice due to chemical contamination you really have to wonder at the idiots doing it. What farmers need to do is grow crops that do pay them, they need to branch out and look at new ways to make their land pay them back for their hard work, not simply over plant as they have with the rice scam. Farmers need to come into the the modern world with what they plant, most farmers I knew in Australia knew how to take care of their soil and use it properly, seems that thai farmers look at how much they can make rather than what grows best and saves their farms for the future, either that or they simply do not understand nature and how to care for what they have.

[tominbkk]

Moving away from super-short-term policies, and initiate better technology, more education, and diversification of crops.

Oy, buat hua!

[iphad]

Thai rice farmers were convinced to grow more rice, particularly since the Green Revolution.

Large areas of Northeastern Thailand have been deforested over the last 30 years as Thailand focused on export led growth under the direction of International donors.

Deforestation led to soil erosion & drought which reduced the reliability of crop yields.

Studies have shown the traditional paddy method of rice cultivation was more sustainable than modern methods.

Guess who is instrumental behind the mess in Thailand's rice cultivation?

Maybe you never heard of Monsanto before.

[BSJ]

Of all the parasites in the rural areas Monsanto is the biggest one!

My wife is very interested in going organic. Her holding is 40 rai of paddy and a mango orchard of 10 rai. Another 10 rai is available to her in 2015. We have planned to sink a bore for more water for the orchard, manager the orchard better and go organic.

Going organic on the 40 rai is slightly more difficult. She has 3 neighbours, 2 are her brothers and a guy from our village. If we can get cooperation from them we could be Certified Organic in a few years.....but then, maybe not!

Things aren't always as straightforward here as they are back home!

[Chris Lawrence]

The bottom line is the farmer that needs the support. Support can come in many forms. Better social responsible schemes will go a long way in helping the more disadvantaged. Transparency, education, better farming methods, ways to increase crop production/quality?

Although the world is in a Tech revolution, but we all have to eat.

'Perhaps, in an open democratic system, there is nothing wrong with policy opportunism that calculates how many votes can be derived from any given initiative. But as the current populist policies work to redistribute income from taxpayers to special interest groups, the fact that Yingluck’s government, like Thaksin’s, hides the costs of the programs means that the normal checks and balances of democracy are obstructed. This restricts open public discussion of alternative policies and their effects on the public interest. Thailand badly needs to move beyond its divisive colour-politics of ‘red shirts’ versus ‘yellow shirts’ through more open public debate.' http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/06/12/the-changing-face-of-thai-populism/

'The vast majority of Thailand’s poor people live in rural areas. But the rice subsidy scheme has failed the very people it was supposed to benefit. The majority of the benefits go to the largest farmers, those who sell the most. Poor farmers have little if any rice to sell after their own consumption requirements are met and receive correspondingly very little benefit from the scheme.

A strong case exists for finding policy instruments that can assist Thailand’s rural poor. But there are better options than the disastrous rice subsidy scheme.'http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2014/03/17/thailands-rice-subsidy-scheme-rotting-away/

Meanwhile, the NCPO has set up a panel to work on alternatives to rice pledging scheme, according to local sources. The panel will come up with a plan considering the various suggestions by the stakeholders in Monday's meeting with the NCPO. Suggestions included subsidies for chemical fertiliser and pesticides, a welfare scheme for farmers, and cheap land rental fees for landless farmers, according to the local sources

- See more at: http://oryza.com/news/rice-news/thai-finance-ministry-raises-12-billion-loan-complete-rice-payments-military-junta#sthash.cy9UDw9S.dpuf

[Bluespunk]

Let's face it, any policy that is not as insanely stupid and economically disastrous as PT's last attempt will be an improvement.

[Chris Lawrence]

http://oryza.com/news/rice-news/thailand-military-government-announces-cultivation-subsidy-and-soft-loans-rice

It was also reported from oryza that the NCPO announced cultivation subsidies and soft loans to help rice farmers. Cultivation subsidy will be about 500 baht per rai.

Suppliers of fertiliser, pesticides and other agricultural inputs have agreed to slash their prices. About 432 baht per rai.

[iphad]

Of all the parasites in the rural areas Monsanto is the biggest one!

My wife is very interested in going organic. Her holding is 40 rai of paddy and a mango orchard of 10 rai. Another 10 rai is available to her in 2015. We have planned to sink a bore for more water for the orchard, manager the orchard better and go organic.

Going organic on the 40 rai is slightly more difficult. She has 3 neighbours, 2 are her brothers and a guy from our village. If we can get cooperation from them we could be Certified Organic in a few years.....but then, maybe not!

Things aren't always as straightforward here as they are back home!

Good luck to your wife re. going organic..not easy I'm sure, but in my opinion the way to go.

Better for the land,your family's health,water supplies & not reliant on chemicals.

[BSJ]

Let's face it, any policy that is not as insanely stupid and economically disastrous as PT's last attempt will be an improvement.

They need to get away from the state purchasing rice, at any price, and introduce fair pricing mechanisms so there is a level playing field. Farmers should pay a fair price for seed and fertilizer and the millers should be made to work in a framework of set prices. Diesel is already regulated/subsidised.

If farmers can make a reasonable living there is no reason to have the government pay farmers subsidies on an ongoing basis. Subsidies distort the value of the product. And forever is for fairytales, any plan will need a Sunset clause to get the subsidies out of the system in time. Maybe a 4 or 5 year plan....cos it's going to take some years for the current situation to be sorted out and I don't believe we can go from one extreme to the other.