PM Prayut says the government will try to make farmers earn 10,000 baht/tonne of paddy

[webfact]

PM says the government will try to make farmers earn 10,000 baht/tonne of paddy

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said the government would try its best to ensure that rice farmers get an average of 10,000 baht for a tonne of paddy they sell, but, at the same time, he begged for understanding for farmers that the government had to take care of people throughout the country and not just farmers.

 

He noted that there are still about 10 million tonnes of unsold rice held in storage which were bought by the previous government under the rice pledging scheme. “What will happen if the rice in storage are released into the market?” asked the prime minister as he asked farmers to have patience, saying that the government has been trying to solve their problem.

 

He said that the government could not just give the farmers 15,000 baht for each tonne of their paddy as the previous government did because that will hurt the economy and it is also impossible because there is still a huge stockpile of unsold rice in warehouses across the country.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/pm-says-the-government-will-try-to-make-farmers-earn-10000-bahttonne-of-paddy/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-11-01

[tbthailand]

34 minutes ago, webfact said:

, but, at the same time, he begged for understanding for farmers that the government had to take care of people throughout the country and not just farmers.

 

Yeah, farmers. The "PM" has to take care of people besides just you!

 

Like these 50 some odd Thai citizens... 

 

[tbthailand]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

He said that the government could not just give the farmers 15,000 baht for each tonne of their paddy as the previous government did because that will hurt the economy and it is also impossible because there is still a huge stockpile of unsold rice in warehouses across the country.

 

But 10,000Bt, that's OK.... 

 

Because "we" are the good people... 

 

[waldroj]

"...PM says the government will try to make farmers earn 10,000 baht/tonne of paddy..."

 

More trying times ahead for Thailand, especially those citizens most at risk from the vagaries of over-supply and under-demand in a globalized world !!!

 

In a country that is still largely agrarian, with large parts devoted to small-scale rice production (especially the NE), it still needs some policies that support its farmers, especially if they are to continue to be competitive in the international market (where farm subsidies exist).

 

While its easy to suggest that, "...farmers should also plant other crops if they suffer loss from rice cultivation...", its another matter again to facilitate the transition away from what is still a traditional and cultural way of living for many, AND importantly, provides sufficient alternate financial value to the nation to replace the loss of export income (that rice provided).

 

Apart from national reconciliation, this could be Prayut's greatest challenge if he, and his cronies are to avoid widening the gap even further between the haves and have-nots in Thailand.

 

 

[colinneil]

Supply and demand, that is what governs prices.

A few years ago Thailand was the number 1 supplier of rice around the World.

Then Yinluck and her pals got involved, buggered up everything.

Paid over the odds for rice ( purely to get votes).

Thai rice became to expensive, so other countries bought elsewhere.

 

Try to teach farmers to grow other crops, to help the situation.

That may help a bit, but that would not be easy, my father grew rice, my grandfather grew rice, so i grow rice.

That is the attitude in Issan, wifes family grow rice, i have suggested many times to grow other things.

They will not listen, that is what we grow.

[Ricardo]

" He said that the government could not just give the farmers 15,000 baht for each tonne of their paddy as the previous government did"

 

IIRC the previous government only paid that for  milled-rice, not for paddy-rice, with husks & so on ?

 

 

[Kru Baa]

Or he can just march everyone out into the fields at gun point and make them grow rice for free. Holiday in Cambodia anyone? 

[klauskunkel]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

“What will happen if the rice in storage are released into the market?” asked the prime minister

Is that a rhetorical question? Sometimes I just don't know with him...

[phantomfiddler]

At 5,000 Bht per ton that makes it 5 Bht per kilo. It would appear to me that the middlemen are the crooks jacking up the prices that we pay at the store. Put the reins on these profiteers and give the poor farmers a fair share of the retail prices paid over the counter !

[yellowboat]

Is he pledging B10,000 ?  Does he even have the slightest idea what he is talking about ?  So there is some good rice, but they cannot sell it as it would bring down the price ?  Isn't this what the last deposed government did ? 

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

Lets keep the politics out of it and only look at the facts. This junta said it will not implement populist policies, so what is the B 10 000/ton ? This junta is claiming +- B 32 billion from YS, about the same amount that this junta scheme will cost. This junta said that they will lower the input cost of the farmers including the price of fertilizer. At present the cost of fertilizer per kg is higher than the price of rice and the solution given by the second in charge is for farmers to sell fertilizer rather than to farm with rice. This scheme will only benefit a third of all farmers and the farmers must store the rice on their own farms ???? Many don't have good storage facilities, what will happen if the rice is stolen or flooded ???? Will the junta pay back loses made on this rice scheme ?????

[fruitman]

Why not make a deal with another country? You buy all our rice and we buy all your potatoes/cars/boats/tools/steel/fruit or whatever they have to offer.

 

They are such big friends with China, swap the rice for new trains or electric buses or safety products or fibre cables or waterdams.

[Yann55]

Isn't it extraordinary how governments in this country can't seem to stay away from the idea of controlling the rice market one way or another ? This declaration of the present PM is eerily reminiscent of the infamous 'rice-pledging scheme', and everyone knows how that ended up for the farmers : a disaster.

 

I for one do not believe that wild capitalism is the answer to everything, and I definitely don't buy the idea that capitalism equals democracy either. In countries where this kind of capitalism is in place (and frankly,  is there a capitalist country nowadays - including China, of course - where that system has not gone wildly astray?) the role of politicians should  be to establish a number of balancing devices, to ensure that the poor and the middle class are not blatantly and irrevocably crushed while the rich get richer. Even if the true purpose is actually to protect the rich (who will lose everything in the end, due to a global revolution led by people who have nothing to lose) the result would be positive for everyone.

 

Is that what we see, however ? No, what we see are politicians whose power is more and more reduced to talking, who are in effect serving the financial and economical powers (in that order, which in itself shows how much capitalism has been put upside down) and have no control whatsoever over these power-machines. Whatever they try to introduce a minimum of social justice fails miserably, and Obama's presidency is a sad illustration of that fact.

 

Good intentions don't change the world. Even if the PM's declaration is totally well meant and sincere, the effect will be either nothing or bad things. If we disagree with the principle of Casinos, the solution is not to change the brand of the slot machines or the color of the chips.

Edited November 1, 2016 by Yann55

[robblok]

That is what you get for storing loads of rice that has to be sold of.. an inheritance of YL. Because of her prices of stuff like fertilizer and pesticide and the rent of farmland went up. (because the farmers got more money and everyone wanted a part). Now those prices have not been lowered and the stocked rice has to be sold.. its a double mess from back then. 

 

Then you got farmers who never formed cooperatives and are at the mercy of the middle men.. and you got the current problems. 

 

You cant dictate the rice price.. farmers are shafted and should stop farming if its not profitable. Yes it sucks but to let all the taxpayers always bail the farmers out is also not a good plan. 

[GeorgeCross]

38 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

At 5,000 Bht per ton that makes it 5 Bht per kilo. It would appear to me that the middlemen are the crooks jacking up the prices that we pay at the store. Put the reins on these profiteers and give the poor farmers a fair share of the retail prices paid over the counter !

 

the middlemen will just buy it elsewhere? maybe chinese or vietnamese rice and sell it on to tescos and friends i'd imagine

[alant]

2 hours ago, colinneil said:

Supply and demand, that is what governs prices.

A few years ago Thailand was the number 1 supplier of rice around the World.

Then Yinluck and her pals got involved, buggered up everything.

Paid over the odds for rice ( purely to get votes).

Thai rice became to expensive, so other countries bought elsewhere.

 

Try to teach farmers to grow other crops, to help the situation.

That may help a bit, but that would not be easy, my father grew rice, my grandfather grew rice, so i grow rice.

That is the attitude in Issan, wifes family grow rice, i have suggested many times to grow other things.

They will not listen, that is what we grow.

Was it Yingluck that paid over the odds for rice to buy votes? Would she have not to already be voted in to do that?

[harada]

46 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

Is he pledging B10,000 ?  Does he even have the slightest idea what he is talking about ?  So there is some good rice, but they cannot sell it as it would bring down the price ?  Isn't this what the last deposed government did ? 

No,no, this is going to be a B27.2 baht pledging LIKE scheme not your actual pledging scheme. 

 

[Sydebolle]

Here we go again ...............

Same shit, different year! 

[colinneil]

34 minutes ago, alant said:

Was it Yingluck that paid over the odds for rice to buy votes? Would she have not to already be voted in to do that?

Yes Yingluck was already voted in, but you are missing the point.

It was for future votes, bit the army put a stop to that.

[joebrown]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

That is what you get for storing loads of rice that has to be sold of.. an inheritance of YL. Because of her prices of stuff like fertilizer and pesticide and the rent of farmland went up. (because the farmers got more money and everyone wanted a part). Now those prices have not been lowered and the stocked rice has to be sold.. its a double mess from back then. 

 

Then you got farmers who never formed cooperatives and are at the mercy of the middle men.. and you got the current problems. 

 

You cant dictate the rice price.. farmers are shafted and should stop farming if its not profitable. Yes it sucks but to let all the taxpayers always bail the farmers out is also not a good plan. 

A far better use of taxpayers' money would be what.....buying unnecessary items of military hardware such as Chinese submarines?

[mike324]

Looks like the DEMs version of Rice Scheme makes the most sense after all. You set the price for rice, if it doesn't reach you subsidize the farmers on the difference. The fact that farmers are suffering even with rice at 15,000 baht / ton or 10,000 baht per ton and schemes failing miserably are all due to corrupt politicians and millers. How many times do we have to beat a dead horse? seems like with the General in charge, its the only way he can beat out these corrupt folks and start with a clean slate and set a new example..... can he step up to the plate?

 

[SaintLouisBlues]

8 minutes ago, mike324 said:

..... can he step up to the plate?

What's in it for him?

[kotsak]

1 hour ago, harada said:

No,no, this is going to be a B27.2 baht pledging LIKE scheme not your actual pledging scheme. 

 

 

So the bonus is that they can pocket the difference 

[ddavidovsky]

So it's a subsidy, only at a lower rate than the previous one. That was always the only solution. not sure why it took them so long to figure it out.

[elgordo38]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

at the same time, he begged for understanding for farmers that the government had to take care of people throughout the country and not just farmers.

Overlook the farmers at your peril. Without them we do no eat. My advice is help the farmers we have had our fill of your taking care of us.

[adhd]

why not give the famers 120k / year and ask them to sit at home doing nothing

 

that might increase the price .... supply & demand does not count in this country

 

[wow64]

I have an idea why don't the government just give them the money for the rice but make them store it at their homes.. this is nice like the previous rice scheme. 

 

Also there must be some evil doers making these prices go down.. who are they?

[ramrod711]

24 minutes ago, adhd said:

why not give the famers 120k / year and ask them to sit at home doing nothing

 

that might increase the price .... supply & demand does not count in this country

 

You probably meant that in a sarcastic way, but is it really such a bad idea? Pay the farmers not to grow for a single season, let the dams fill, the land recover and the price rise. The farmers that are willing to work on government sponsored projects like irrigation improvements etc. could be paid at a higher rate than the ones who choose to sit at home. Time to think outside the box.

[mike324]

5 hours ago, SaintLouisBlues said:

What's in it for him?

 

"bringing happiness to the people" :-)

[alant]

7 hours ago, colinneil said:

Yes Yingluck was already voted in, but you are missing the point.

It was for future votes, bit the army put a stop to that.

Ah so she didn't need the rice subsidy to buy votes to get in but she would have needed it (maybe / perhaps / guess / who knows) to be re-elected. 

 

I see...