Democrat slams Thai govt over falling prices of farm produce

[webfact]

POLITICS
Democrat slams govt over falling prices of farm produce
THE NATION


Former Democrat party-list MP Watchara Petthong presents some fruit and vegetables during his press conference at the Democrat Party headquarters yesterday. He is calling on the government to address the problem of levying taxes on LPG

BANGKOK: -- GOVERNMENT ministers should be sacked if they fail to effectively address plummeting produce prices, former Democrat Party MP Watchara Phetthong said yesterday.

He said corn growers in Phetchabun complained to him that they were yet to receive the Bt300 million in compensation promised by the Yingluck government.

The farmers had urged the government to urgently give corn farmers the promised Bt1,000 per rai each - but not more than 15 rai per farmer or Bt15,000.

He said the farmers had also called for a halt to corn imports, and asked the Agriculture Ministry to provide them with inexpensive fertiliser and corn seeds.

The farmers claimed they were forced to buy pricey corn seeds - up to Bt1,600 per kilogram - from a giant conglomerate. But the seeds could not be used because they had been treated with radiation.

"We want to ask the giant company that has the market monopoly to stop selling corn seeds treated with radiation and stop taking advantage of corn farmers across the country,'' Watchara said.

He added that the government was to blame for the falling price of palm oil.

The government announced that the palm oil price must be Bt4 per kilogram but the latest price was Bt3 per kilogram, Watchara said.

This was because the Commerce Ministry approved the import of 50,000 tonnes of palm oil, causing the price to plunge.

He urged Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha to seek advice from former deputy finance minister Pichet Panwichartkul if he was having trouble finding advisers knowledgeable about palm oil issues.

"If the ministers fail to address the price fall of agricultural produce, they must not be allowed to continue in their posts, even though they may be the PM's friends," Watchara said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Democrat-slams-govt-over-falling-prices-of-farm-pr-30259328.html


-- The Nation 2015-05-05

[halloween]

It's the government's fault when prices go up, and it's the government's fault when prices go down. Why doesn't somebody tell these parasites they are running a business, and if they can't do it successfully, try something else? Because here there are too many of them, and they will vote for whichever party panders to their demands.

Why do they bury farmers only 3 feet deep? So they can still stick their hand out.

[trogers]

The same mouth that tells workers that cost of living would be controlled and brought down, would tell farmers they would get high prices for their produce.

A new achievement in double-talk!

[KarenBravo]

Yet another Thai official that doesn't understand the law of supply and demand.

Where do they get these people?

Edited May 5, 2015 by KarenBravo

[trogers]

Yet another Thai official that doesn't understand the law of supply and demand.

Where do they get these people?

From the same school the world over. They are called "Politicians".

[Strangebrew]

Wait a second my family has grown corn for generations we always supplied our own seed for corn we set aside 100 ears of corn or more to air dry thus giving us seed for next years crop. And we rotated crops from field to field so not depleting the soil. also the stalks we mulched to return to the land. It is called farming.

[trogers]

Wait a second my family has grown corn for generations we always supplied our own seed for corn we set aside 100 ears of corn or more to air dry thus giving us seed for next years crop. And we rotated crops from field to field so not depleting the soil. also the stalks we mulched to return to the land. It is called farming.

For animal feed?

[Always18]

The answer seems pretty obvious to me - Thailand just needs to control the world price of all those commodities.

Can't understand why they haven't tried it before.................................

[trogers]

The answer seems pretty obvious to me - Thailand just needs to control the world price of all those commodities.

Can't understand why they haven't tried it before.................................

They already have a covet team working on it, based in Dubai.

[Srikcir]

"This was because the Commerce Ministry approved the import of 50,000 tonnes of palm oil, causing the price to plunge."

WRONG

It is actually a domestic oversupply causing market prices to drop:

2015-03-03

"The Ministry of Commerce's subcommittee on the management of oil palm and palm oil has asserted that no further importation of palm oil is needed to feed domestic demand.

General Chatchai Sarikulya, the minister of commerce, revealed after Monday's meeting of the subcommittee that surveys by the Department of Internal Trade and the Office of Agricultural Economics have found that oil palm has been reaching the market in greater quantities. 889,000 tons of the produce is expected to reach the market in March, a significant increase from the 614,000 tons that reached the market in January. Meanwhile, raw oil palm stockpile was recorded at 124,000 tons on February 25.

This figure is expected to increase to 155,000 tons in March, which would be adequate for domestic demand. Therefore, there is no need to import more raw palm oil, Gen. Chatchai said. The palm oil situation is also expected to return to normal in April, when the stockpile of raw oil palm is expected to rise to the normal level at 210,000 tons.

As with the rubber and rice farmers, the corn farmers are responsible for creating an oversupply that is driving prices down. Economics 101.

But in each case the Junta government has been a patsy to immediately CALM protests by providing populist cash subsidies. Politics 101.

[trogers]

"As with the rubber and rice farmers, the corn farmers are responsible for creating an oversupply that is driving prices down."

And all that smog was for naught?

[KarenBravo]

A rather cheap gambit to secure ignorant farmer's votes.

[Docno]

Wow - a Democrat MP calling on the coup-makers to honour a pledging scheme that the Dems condemned. Makes one's head spin....

[casualbiker]

Giant conglomerate= CP

[lucky11]

Wait a second my family has grown corn for generations we always supplied our own seed for corn we set aside 100 ears of corn or more to air dry thus giving us seed for next years crop. And we rotated crops from field to field so not depleting the soil. also the stalks we mulched to return to the land. It is called farming.

I would pay a bit of interest to what Monsanto, Sygenta and 3 other major companies are trying to do. They already own 50 - 60% of the worlds seeds and are in cahoots with powerful politicians (Obama included) to poison the world with GMO's.

Might be a good idea to Google 'seed sharing', or even take a look at Monsanto's website - it is crucial that counter measures are taken to stop this despicable affront to humanity.

If they get their way and sign an agreement with them then it will be illegal to buy seeds from anyone else but them and you must buy new seeds every year otherwise they will sue you!!

[trogers]

Wait a second my family has grown corn for generations we always supplied our own seed for corn we set aside 100 ears of corn or more to air dry thus giving us seed for next years crop. And we rotated crops from field to field so not depleting the soil. also the stalks we mulched to return to the land. It is called farming.

I would pay a bit of interest to what Monsanto, Sygenta and 3 other major companies are trying to do. They already own 50 - 60% of the worlds seeds and are in cahoots with powerful politicians (Obama included) to poison the world with GMO's.

Might be a good idea to Google 'seed sharing', or even take a look at Monsanto's website - it is crucial that counter measures are taken to stop this despicable affront to humanity.

If they get their way and sign an agreement with them then it will be illegal to buy seeds from anyone else but them and you must buy new seeds every year otherwise they will sue you!!

Waiting for them to file suits in China and India...?

[Thaddeus]

Yet another Thai official that doesn't understand the law of supply and demand.

Where do they get these people?

Politicians do understand the law of supply and demand.

They demand to be elected, and the sheeple supply it.

Personally I think the only useful function any politician could serve, is if you planted a tree on top of them.

[trogers]

Yet another Thai official that doesn't understand the law of supply and demand.

Where do they get these people?

Politicians do understand the law of supply and demand.

They demand to be elected, and the sheeple supply it.

Personally I think the only useful function any politician could serve, is if you planted a tree on top of them.

Trees wilter in the presence of too much ammonia. You would need to let dung beetles do their work for a decade first.

[toybits]

All of a sudden he is concerned about the plight of the kwai farmers he so loathed.

[Chao Lao Beach]

The farmers claimed they were forced to buy pricey corn seeds - up to Bt1,600 per kilogram - from a giant conglomerate. But the seeds could not be used because they had been treated with radiation.

"We want to ask the giant company that has the market monopoly to stop selling corn seeds treated with radiation and stop taking advantage of corn farmers across the country,'' Watchara said.

Please explain ?

[KarenBravo]

Of course, this is great news for consumers which outnumber farmers by many times.

[Equalizer]

This is just what i had visioned. As soon as the establishment is in office the poor get hit. Question? Are we now seeing Mr Suthep at it again with the palm oil http://asiancorrespondent.com/49900/thailands-palm-oil-crisis-mr-s-strikes-again/ This is what sickens me folks. The truth is Taksin was a kind of Robin Hood, at least he hit the stock markets for his rackets, at the same time hitting the pockets of wealthy investors. These people pray on the silent poor who have no sway. Don't believe me? OK you watch this space with the palm oil. They will import until their is another huge surplus that is past its exporting premium. This will then leave no alternative but to sell it in Thailand. This will mean it will need refining in Thailand. Who owns all the palm oil refineries in Thailand? Yes you got it Suthep. This very same scam pocketed him billions of baht last time. You will need to see who is screwing the corn, however their will be some high up figures making tons of money for every commodity this country farms. Ha and to think, all i have herd for the past 2 years is how bad Yingluck was, Hmmm well in truth she overpaid the farmers at the expense of the economy. If i was a farmer i know which pot i would be pi@@ing in.

[Equalizer]

"This was because the Commerce Ministry approved the import of 50,000 tonnes of palm oil, causing the price to plunge."

WRONG

It is actually a domestic oversupply causing market prices to drop:

2015-03-03

"The Ministry of Commerce's subcommittee on the management of oil palm and palm oil has asserted that no further importation of palm oil is needed to feed domestic demand.

General Chatchai Sarikulya, the minister of commerce, revealed after Monday's meeting of the subcommittee that surveys by the Department of Internal Trade and the Office of Agricultural Economics have found that oil palm has been reaching the market in greater quantities. 889,000 tons of the produce is expected to reach the market in March, a significant increase from the 614,000 tons that reached the market in January. Meanwhile, raw oil palm stockpile was recorded at 124,000 tons on February 25.

This figure is expected to increase to 155,000 tons in March, which would be adequate for domestic demand. Therefore, there is no need to import more raw palm oil, Gen. Chatchai said. The palm oil situation is also expected to return to normal in April, when the stockpile of raw oil palm is expected to rise to the normal level at 210,000 tons.

As with the rubber and rice farmers, the corn farmers are responsible for creating an oversupply that is driving prices down. Economics 101.

But in each case the Junta government has been a patsy to immediately CALM protests by providing populist cash subsidies. Politics 101.

Rubbish, this is a ploy to monopolize the refining of the oil produced here its called Mr Suthep time.

[lucky11]

The farmers claimed they were forced to buy pricey corn seeds - up to Bt1,600 per kilogram - from a giant conglomerate. But the seeds could not be used because they had been treated with radiation.

"We want to ask the giant company that has the market monopoly to stop selling corn seeds treated with radiation and stop taking advantage of corn farmers across the country,'' Watchara said.

Please explain ?

Radiation causes the DNA to alter and is a kind of artificial acceleration of evolution. Wheat stem rust was damaging yields alarmingly and so they tried to produce resistant strains by 'trial and error' through causing mutations in the seeds to counter this deadly disease. As is always the case, the fungus further evolves to defeat the new strains. It is a matter of how long this takes.

It is a bit like the Roundup resistant seeds (Monsanto's franken seeds) that allowed farmers to soak their crops with glycophosphate to kill the weeds but leave the crop untouched. Now Roundup is a poison and carcinogen and is poisoning everyone that sources their plant based crops from America!! As a double whammy, the weeds have evolved to become super-weeds that are resistant to round up now and these weeds are proliferating the fields across America in far greater numbers than before, so much so, that it potentially threatens the US's domestic food supply.

The so called Monsanto scientists whose company are in cahoots with the government ridiculed the experts and stated definitively that " it is inconceivable that weeds will become resistant to Roundup" - well that is precisely what has happened!! Monsanto's crazy answer to this problem is to develop soy beans that are resistant to Dicamba (close cousin of 'agent orange') - yes, you read that right. They proudly planted their first seeds in North Dakota and will be eager to spray the fields with Dicamba once the plants are big enough. It is a bit like bringing a little bit of Vietnam to the US!!

I am not usually sympathetic towards the US but I genuinely fear for you.

Edited May 5, 2015 by lucky11

[rubl]

Wait a second my family has grown corn for generations we always supplied our own seed for corn we set aside 100 ears of corn or more to air dry thus giving us seed for next years crop. And we rotated crops from field to field so not depleting the soil. also the stalks we mulched to return to the land. It is called farming.

Tjeez man, don't go scientific on me. We're talking politics here, logic is not involved and actually frowned upon

[rubl]

"This was because the Commerce Ministry approved the import of 50,000 tonnes of palm oil, causing the price to plunge."

WRONG

It is actually a domestic oversupply causing market prices to drop:

2015-03-03

"The Ministry of Commerce's subcommittee on the management of oil palm and palm oil has asserted that no further importation of palm oil is needed to feed domestic demand.

General Chatchai Sarikulya, the minister of commerce, revealed after Monday's meeting of the subcommittee that surveys by the Department of Internal Trade and the Office of Agricultural Economics have found that oil palm has been reaching the market in greater quantities. 889,000 tons of the produce is expected to reach the market in March, a significant increase from the 614,000 tons that reached the market in January. Meanwhile, raw oil palm stockpile was recorded at 124,000 tons on February 25.

This figure is expected to increase to 155,000 tons in March, which would be adequate for domestic demand. Therefore, there is no need to import more raw palm oil, Gen. Chatchai said. The palm oil situation is also expected to return to normal in April, when the stockpile of raw oil palm is expected to rise to the normal level at 210,000 tons.

As with the rubber and rice farmers, the corn farmers are responsible for creating an oversupply that is driving prices down. Economics 101.

But in each case the Junta government has been a patsy to immediately CALM protests by providing populist cash subsidies. Politics 101.

If I remember correctly you were totally against the import of palm oil?

Anyway it's interesting that when a figure of 889,000 tons to become available in March is given, the import of 50,000 tons is able to let the price plunge.

[thaiturkey]

Since when have the Democrats EVER been concerned about the farmers? This is the party of lawyers and other bloodsucking city slickers.

Then there is the super-leeche, Suthep.

[ourmanflint]

Wait a second my family has grown corn for generations we always supplied our own seed for corn we set aside 100 ears of corn or more to air dry thus giving us seed for next years crop. And we rotated crops from field to field so not depleting the soil. also the stalks we mulched to return to the land. It is called farming.

Then you really should understand that not all seeds are viable, and that the "monsanto irradiated" F1 seeds that are sold to farmers cannot be saved and used for next years crop. They have to purchase new seed from Monsanto every year.

[trogers]

Wait a second my family has grown corn for generations we always supplied our own seed for corn we set aside 100 ears of corn or more to air dry thus giving us seed for next years crop. And we rotated crops from field to field so not depleting the soil. also the stalks we mulched to return to the land. It is called farming.

Then you really should understand that not all seeds are viable, and that the "monsanto irradiated" F1 seeds that are sold to farmers cannot be saved and used for next years crop. They have to purchase new seed from Monsanto every year.

The reason for the radiation...

[rubl]

Since when have the Democrats EVER been concerned about the farmers? This is the party of lawyers and other bloodsucking city slickers.

Then there is the super-leeche, Suthep.

Since many odd years. The Abhisit government had some farming subsidies which farmers complained about as too little, but than less than a hundred billion Baht was spent in two and a half years time. The Yingluck government was more successful of course, their self-financing RPPS cost only 700++ billion baht and made all rice farmers rich.

That's why now the other farmers complain. They probably want to get as rich as the rice farmers