Ministry prepares raft of measures to boost rice prices including opening direct markets

[webfact]

Ministry prepares raft of measures to boost rice prices including opening direct markets
By WASAMON AUDJARINT 
THE NATION

 

 

BANGKOK: -- THE COMMERCE Ministry will organise 109 open markets to sell rice paddy in 44 provinces during the 2016-17 production season starting this month to help shore up domestic prices and increase farmers’ bargaining power, according to Commerce Minister Apiradee Tantraporn.

 

The Cabinet yesterday also approved a Bt18-billion proposal to implement a rice-pledging scheme in Pathum Thani and for white rice paddy as Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha expressed appreciation to the public and private sectors for their cooperation and efforts in helping farmers hit hard by low paddy prices, which now average only Bt5,000 to Bt6,000 per tonne.

 

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/politics/30299496

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2016-11-09

[trogers]

A six-wheel truck of milled rice can provide a year's supply to a small moo baan or a block of condos in Bangkok, should the residents so help themselves...

 

And most farming villages have their own small mills that can take pre-orders.

[Thailand]

Rice, must be the nightmare that haunts the ptb 24 hours a day!

 

 

[jerojero]

How will any of this increase demand for rice? Buy more now then less later. Same same over a year.

[trogers]

1 minute ago, jerojero said:

How will any of this increase demand for rice? Buy more now then less later. Same same over a year.

 

You help a foolish action, and hope no more foolish acts in the future.

 

Different from enriching foolish acts...and perpetuate the cycle.

[OMGImInPattaya]

I'm pretty sure the Thai people are already eating all the rice they can...it's a staple at every meal. The problem is hardly lack of retail outlets for rice...it's government policies encouraging farmers to grow too much of it.

[jerojero]

They better build a big raft, if they think they can solve world rice oversupply.

[Srikcir]

It's relatively simple for any nation to lower the cost of domestic crops through subsidy programs to assure farmer profits using taxpayer funds. But it won't affect global prices that affect export revenue of same crops. Thailand doesn't have a large enough treasury to subsidize the productions costs for 10 million or more tons of rice used for export.

 

If Prayut wants Thailand to become an economic island that doesn't rely on exports to be self-sustaining - great. But it won't see GDP growth that would take the nation beyond an emerging economy. The middle income trap will become a dream and not a means to an end.