Thai Tourism Min to buy 3,000 tons of rubber to help planters

[webfact]

Ministry of Tourism and Sports to buy 3,000 tons of rubber to help planters

BANGKOK, 13 January 2016 (NNT) – Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanawrangkura said the cabinet has approved members of the Rubber Authority of Thailand’s committee in charge of addressing rubber price falls.

In order to relieve the rubber price problem, the ministry will buy about 3,000 tons of rubber directly from rubber planters to build sporting courts and manufacture rubber dolls and rubber wristbands for use as tourism gimmicks.

The construction of rubber-based sporting courts can be immediately funded but the planned uses of rubber in other areas are yet to be considered in details.


-- NNT 2016-01-13

[Reigntax]

Well that will help produce more rubbery tourism figures.

[siliconvalley]

Wow...

Hold on buckwheat....Which one of you MPs own a rubber plantation?

And which relative owns the factory you're planning to use?

I thought the Thai Govt. was denying the Rice farmers subsidy last week.

Now, Thai toy manufacturers won't risk producing products that sell naturally?

Ok, I get it.

Thailand, the rubber baby bumper crop.

[rasmus5150]

YES. Free condoms for all tourists.

[rasmus5150]

Rubber dolls for tourists????????......?????????...........

Then you will satisfy the rubber farmers in the south. But it will enrage all the poor Isaan farmers daughters

[sebastion]

They are scraping the bottom of the barrel for intelligence.

These ideas are child like.

[tomyummer]

The rubber to be used to cover the tallest pole in Chiang Rai and then calling the Guinness Book of Records for the PR for the longest condom in the world. Plausible scheme to increase tourism. Go get'em Minister!

[arrowsdawdle]

They are scraping the bottom of the barrel for intelligence.

These ideas are child like.

No child would do such a thing.

[BSJ]

Well that will help produce more rubbery tourism figures.

555 You beat me to it!

[upena]

Operation wristband again? And, for those of you keeping score - it is - Suthep 1, Prayuth 0

[Ace of Pop]

I suppose a meeting with Goodyear or any major world user would be too simple

[JAG]

Biggest bouncy castle in the universe?

[Nigeone]

Just googled rubber and the stages it goes through before it's usable...Didn't know and it's quite interesting .I wonder if the TAT realise what it takes to convert that 3000 tons or raw slabs into products..Me think not ! And along with the other 97000 tons that the goverment has agreed to buy...interesting times ahead..Maybe they can put it in the warehouses that the rice came out of..Oh wait !!

[Caveat Emptor]

The PM slapped down Suthep''s idea on buying at a fixed price saying " where's the money to come from ? " yet several ministries seem to have the budget to buy.

[TheCruncher]

I suppose a meeting with Goodyear or any major world user would be too simple

Probably would mean they had to stand long in the queue

[TheCruncher]

Wonder what kind of rubber dolls they have in mind

[Langsuan Man]

I wonder if the next government will go after these minister in court and try and get them to pay back the money from their personal accounts like the military are going after Yingluck for the very same thing

I know; same-same but different

[wabothai]

So called minister of tourism buys rubber.

Worth a smile.

[TheCruncher]

I wonder if the next government will go after these minister in court and try and get them to pay back the money from their personal accounts like the military are going after Yingluck for the very same thing

I know; same-same but different

What you mean, next government? You must be confused.

[Ricardo]

"Rubbery Jubly" as Del-Boy might have said !

But I can't help thinking that the Torism Ministry must have more-urgent things to attend to ... surely ... No ?

[connda]

So why not buy a few thousand tons of corn, or lumyai, or vegetables, or coffee, or whatever? Rice and rubber needs government subsidies, but the rest of Thailand's farmers prosper of perish through market forces. Personally, the market should be allowed to clean out the weak hands.

[taff33]

It's all very good to make rubber dolls,I wonder if they could make a few rubber sheep for those of us who get home sick.

[Srikcir]

Unless the government amends the organic procurement laws, the ministries can only pay market price for the rubber. In which case, what's the point? To pay higher than market value would be deemed corruption. But then the government is a military junta, so again, what's the point?

[HenryB]

If every 20 Million Tourist was given 2 Kilos of Raw Rubber it will take over 44,040 Tons of Raw Rubber

Tourist coming will remember the wonderful gift and will come for more

Maybe they can give rice also as agreat gift

[Ricardo]

Next weeks' headlines to read ... "Thai Tourism Bounces Back !" ?

[rasmus5150]

All tourists will be forced to wear different colored rubber wristbands according to income. That way the police knows in advance which ones to avoid, because they are to "poor" to pay their fines.

[CantSpell]

They should make real size rubber "sick buffaloes", there is a big market in the north apparently...

Would help to make the selfies with the sick buffaloes and increase national income...

[mojorison]

And this is different to buying tonnes of rice in which way... specifically? (Other than the fact that most of the rubber comes from the south, where the average household earnings are nearly 5 times that of their northern brothers who grow cantaloupe... amiright (?). Amazing LOS 5555