Commerce Ministry: Quality to be strong point of Thai rice industry

BANGKOK, 14 March 2015 (NNT) – The Ministry of Commerce is poised to opt out of the rice mortgage or price guarantee policies but will instead promote the quality as the selling point of Thai rice.

To stimulate the popularity of Thai rice in the world market, Commerce Minister Gen Chatchai Sarikulya said the Ministry of Commerce and related agencies will map out ways to improve the quality of off-season rice. At the same time, the government will expand its overseas customer base.

Gen Chatchai also disclosed that foreign customers, including the Philippines and China have now ordered three million tons of rice, adding that he had a plan to persuade Beijing to import another two million tons during a bilateral meeting in May.

The Commerce Minister will be leaving for Nakhon Sawan late this month to observe the mechanism of the central rice market. Information collected during the visit will be used in the establishment of a rice market fair which will serve as a hub for farmers and customers, thus making rice sales through middlemen unnecessary while helping boost rice prices by between 500 and 800 baht per ton.

The Ministry has yet to adjust its export target of the whole year, pending the results of the upcoming meeting of commercial attaches from around the world scheduled for March 16.

-- NNT 2015-03-15

Why not set price of rice sold by farmer to broker and the amount the broker can charge in terms of profit above there costs to importing countries.

>>The Commerce Minister will be leaving for Nakhon Sawan late this month to observe the mechanism of the central rice market.<< Quote

First the minister makes a statement about the prospects of Thai rice farming.

Later he he going the learn about the market mechanism of the rice market??

Lord have mercy on Thailand!!

>>The Commerce Minister will be leaving for Nakhon Sawan late this month to observe the mechanism of the central rice market.<< Quote

First the minister makes a statement about the prospects of Thai rice farming.

Later he he going the learn about the market mechanism of the rice market??

Lord have mercy on Thailand!!

And you could do better I suppose.

It is far better to grow good quality rice and less of it than than the "we will buy everything you grow at 40% over the market rates, no matter what the quailty" program that the previous government touted at the cost of the Thai rice industry.

Only Thai's care quality, because they have lot of wealth and abandon food sources. The hungry people in Africa and in rest of the world want to fill the stomach, they care only the price which they can afford. $1.5 per Kilo of rice where the rice is produced is too expensive.

No one knows the fate of 2 years old, the billions of worth rice. Should have been distributed to the poor people for affordable price. The present government is hurry only in punishing the politician, not caring about the hungry people.

Dare I say it? Another hub!