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Rubber farmers seek PM’s help



BANGKOK: -- Rubber farmers from southern provinces yesterday submitted a letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha seeking help from the government over the falling rubber prices.

The farmers led by Sunthorn Rakrong, leader of rubber associations in 16 southern provinces, submitted the four-point demand letter to a complaint centre in the southern province of Songkhla yesterday.

In the letter, the farmers sought the government to approve compensation to farmers for a rubber price below 60 baht per kilogramme.

They also called for the government to allow them to barter their rubber for rice in state’s warehouse.

In addition, they wanted the government to review the forest land reclamation policy of the ruling National Council for Peace and Order, which led to thousands of rubber trees being cut down.

The farmers also called for probe over the selection of distinguished members of the rubber farmer institute assembly.

Sunthorn said he would gather names of farmers who are affected by the falling prices in order to seek a meeting with the prime minister.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/rubber-farmers-seek-pms-help


-- Thai PBS 2015-10-02

[khwaibah]

Pick a number and stand in line behind the rice farmers.

[djjamie]

Help them to help themselves Prayut. Thats what should have happened with the rice farmers years ago, but no PM wanted to be unpopular. They wanted to win elections even if it was not helping the farmers in the long term.

You don't have to win an election. Make the most of it.

Help them to help themselves and rest assured no farmer in the future will ask for help again.

Future Thai political parties will hate it, but at least the people will be self sufficient and not akin to a drug addict waiting for the govt to give them their next hit.

Edited October 2, 2015 by djjamie

[slapout]

The cutting of trees illegally planted on government should in itself help raise the price of rubber just due to reduced production. Sounds like someone lost what they should not have been using to start with.

The price being paid at present as per fprum members is in the 24 to 25 baht per kilo range. and they want at least 60 baht????? Sounds like they have been to bargirl school training, should have asked fornew model buffalo also, while asking.

[Oziex1]

I'm sure the rubber price will bounce back soon

[welshissan]

Help them to help themselves Prayut. Thats what should have happened with the rice farmers years ago, but no PM wanted to be unpopular. They wanted to win elections even if it was not helping the farmers in the long term.

You don't have to win an election. Make the most of it.

Help them to help themselves and rest assured no farmer in the future will ask for help again.

Future Thai political parties will hate it, but at least the people will be self sufficient and not akin to a drug addict waiting for the govt to give them their next hit.

I think that you have been out in the sun too long Jamie, its frazzled your brain!

Could you please explain to me how to make the farmers (rice,rubber, anything else) self sufficient as all of them just want government handouts,exceptions of course.

Finally, why do you try to make every thread a debate about previous governments?

[nakhonandy]

The cutting of trees illegally planted on government should in itself help raise the price of rubber just due to reduced production. Sounds like someone lost what they should not have been using to start with.

The price being paid at present as per fprum members is in the 24 to 25 baht per kilo range. and they want at least 60 baht????? Sounds like they have been to bargirl school training, should have asked fornew model buffalo also, while asking.

I am pretty sure it is about 40 Baht per kilo.

That would make some heavy subsidy!

Why do they get a handout?

This is just the way the market works.

As for complaining about illegal trees being cut down and land reclaimed. Tough.

[sawadee1947]

well, old well known game again.......

Thaksin gave money

Yingluck gave money

and now? ..................Prayut will give money

Is there any difference?................Oh yes, it's a different clan.

But the goal is the same: buying votes at the end. Rubber farmers, rice farmers....who's next, Mr. P?

[Sabaidee Mai]

It's only 25 baht per kilo

[connda]

Sorry, but I think that Thai farmers have been tossed under the bus. Wait for that pot to boil over - the PM won't be getting the Thai Smiles he's looking for methinks.

[seajae]

the thai way is to be given money fro everything because they refuse to accept any responsibility for anything they do. Wanting illegal trees left alone, what a joke of a man this is, demanding more money than they are currently getting(world prices) is again a joke, if they dont like it grow something else. These people decide what to plant then whinge when the world prices fall, they whinge when they are caught planting illegally on govt land then demand it be left alone. Just hope the pm has the balls to tell them to go ***k themselves, same with all the whinging rice farmers, way past time for this country to start to advance themselves and stop chasing handouts for their own bad decisions every time they are caught out.

[Srikcir]

In May 2015 Prayut asked China "to purchase 200,000 tonnes of rubber for about 3-5 yuan (Bt16-Bt27) a kilogram above the market price." Might be time for Prayut to do more magic sales to China.

Then In July 2015 the BAAC "granted 10.074 billion baht worth of loans" and "handed out 10.26 million baht to 842 para rubber growers, as part of the government’s compensation scheme to help growers who were affected by plunging rubber prices at the beginning of 2015."

Might be time for Prayut to bring more happiness to the rubber growers and hand out more subsidies.

[Thai at Heart]

the thai way is to be given money fro everything because they refuse to accept any responsibility for anything they do. Wanting illegal trees left alone, what a joke of a man this is, demanding more money than they are currently getting(world prices) is again a joke, if they dont like it grow something else. These people decide what to plant then whinge when the world prices fall, they whinge when they are caught planting illegally on govt land then demand it be left alone. Just hope the pm has the balls to tell them to go ***k themselves, same with all the whinging rice farmers, way past time for this country to start to advance themselves and stop chasing handouts for their own bad decisions every time they are caught out.

Why on earth would anyone want farmers to have low incomes? Why should they go **** themselves. Prices are low. They need assistance.

Or should the govt just let the countryside starve?

[Shiver]

Years back, lots of people were talking about rubber plantations, and since I knew nothing about it I started asking questions, particularly about how many years to maturity, how long the tree lives etc.

Although I knew nothing about the farming, I had been here long enough to observe the "lets copy their business and open next door to them" type behaviour. I said "the price might be good now, but if everyone jumps on the bandwagon at the same time, then they'll all mature at the same time and there will be a glut, so prices will fall". That didn't make me popular of course. And now....ah well you know the rest of the story already. Sigh.

[The Deerhunter]

The cutting of trees illegally planted on government should in itself help raise the price of rubber just due to reduced production. Sounds like someone lost what they should not have been using to start with.

The price being paid at present as per fprum members is in the 24 to 25 baht per kilo range. and they want at least 60 baht????? Sounds like they have been to bargirl school training, should have asked fornew model buffalo also, while asking.

In January they were getting 39 baht a kg and the govt was paying 21 to get it up to 60 baht a kg. Has it really dropped from 39 baht a kg to 24 baht in 9 months?

[Sabaidee Mai]

Yes getting paid 25 baht per kilo

[candide]

I cannot help but repos this amusing quote from a Bloomberg's article that sheds light on one of the motive why Southerners went to protest in Bangkok against YL:

"Manoon joined the protests in Bangkok against Yinglucks government that eventually led to the military takeover after protest leaders said getting rid of her would lead to higher rubber prices. Now, he says he and his friends feel betrayed.Its like a broken promise, he said. They dont care about us at all.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-21/happiness-eludes-thailand-s-divided-regions-as-farmers-struggle

[candide]

So who will get more subsidy? Rice farmers or rubber farmers? Difficult decision!

[Thai at Heart]

I cannot help but repos this amusing quote from a Bloomberg's article that sheds light on one of the motive why Southerners went to protest in Bangkok against YL:"Manoon joined the protests in Bangkok against Yinglucks government that eventually led to the military takeover after protest leaders said getting rid of her would lead to higher rubber prices. Now, he says he and his friends feel betrayed.Its like a broken promise, he said. They dont care about us at all. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-21/happiness-eludes-thailand-s-divided-regions-as-farmers-struggle

Can't be true. Someone on here to me that all Suthep supporters were university educated in politics, philosophy and economics and only intervened between their lifesaving classes because they couldn't bear another day seeing Yingluck in power.

Someone even told me they held those protests on principal.....

Also, someone told me it was only thaksin who used offers of money to bribe northern farmers to support him and that such dastardly policies had never nor would ever be put in place in the south. Southern politicians and farmers being so much more principled and educated than their northern brethren, and all that.

Edited October 3, 2015 by Thai at Heart

[MZurf]

Help them to help themselves Prayut. Thats what should have happened with the rice farmers years ago, but no PM wanted to be unpopular. They wanted to win elections even if it was not helping the farmers in the long term.

You don't have to win an election. Make the most of it.

Help them to help themselves and rest assured no farmer in the future will ask for help again.

Future Thai political parties will hate it, but at least the people will be self sufficient and not akin to a drug addict waiting for the govt to give them their next hit.

"You don't have to win an election"

That's the only true thing I have ever seen you post.

[bamnutsak]

What about "Rubber for Rails"; swap with China, Japan, or whatever country is building all these new rail systems?

Maybe TAT can "lure" more tourists to Thailand with offers of free rubber?

"Bounce Back to Thailand".

The farmers also called for probe over the selection of distinguished members of the rubber farmer institute assembly.

Oh dear me, there's a "Rubber Farmer Institute Assembly"? And it's been stacked with "distinguished" members? Shouldn't it be the National Rubber Farmer Council for Peace and Harmony"?

[Sarathi]

General Prayuth told rubbers farmers to sell their product on Mars (remember?)

Now that water has been discovered on Mars, maybe he can suggest they could plant their trees there too.