Auditor-General rejects complaints about rice sales

[webfact]

Auditor-General rejects complaints about rice sales

By The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- THE Office of Auditor-General has insisted that there have been no irregularities in recent sales of state-owned rice totalling 2.8 million tonnes as the government clears up its huge inventory resulting from the previous government’s rice-pledging scheme.

Auditor-General Pisit Leelavachiro-pas said the government’s rice-quality grading and bidding methods used in selling off the final stock of 2.8 million tonnes was credible based on the office’s observations, since experts from other trade and industry bodies were also involved in the process.

 

His remarks followed Pheu Thai Party complaints that the process had been manipulated, resulting in low prices for the rice sold. High-grade rice, which was fit for human consumption and would bring higher prices, had been graded with lower-quality rice for feedmill and energy-generation use, Pheu Thai members said.

 

Yuttapong Charassathien, a former deputy agriculture minister of the Pheu Thai Party, said the complaint was officially submitted to the auditor-general on July 14, but there was no response so the party would follow up on the issue.

 

Yuttapong added that the party’s action was not related to the upcoming Supreme Court verdict due on August 25 regarding former premier Yingluck Shinawatra’s alleged negligence of official duties while implementing the rice-pledging scheme and resulting in corruption and massive financial losses to the state.

 

Yuttapong said the party’s move should not be seen as politically motivated. During the tenure of former premier Yingluck, a total of 18 million tonnes of rice was pledged by the government. Over the past several years, the huge rice inventory has been sold to the private sector at significant losses since the government paid farmers up to Bt15,000 per tonne against the then-prevailing price of Bt7,000-8,000 per tonne.

 

The last 2.8 million tonnes of rice have been sold via bidding this year, of which 2.1 million tonnes were classified as C-grade rice, not suitable for human consumption, and bringing a low price for feedmill and energy use.

 

Pisit said he was not sure if it was feasible for the government to grade the rice more specifically since the volume was huge. In addition, he said, new rice harvests were coming onto the market, so farmers could be affected in terms of pricing if there was a large supply of old rice for human consumption.

 

The poultry industry also disposes of baby chickens in the sea when there is an oversupply of chicken in order to ease downward pressures on domestic chicken prices, Pisit said.

 

However, Yuttapong said the Pheu Thai Party would not stop exposing alleged irregularities in the government’s handling of rice sales.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30323690

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-08-14

[ogb]

The Auditor-General who also said there were no irregularities in the submarine deal must have known the subs were  needed to keep an eye on the baby chickens.:

 

"The poultry industry also disposes of baby chickens in the sea when there is an oversupply of chicken in order to ease downward pressures on domestic chicken prices" Pisit said

 

 

 

 

[BasalBanality]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The poultry industry also disposes of baby chickens in the sea when there is an oversupply of chicken in order to ease downward pressures on domestic chicken prices, Pisit said.

 

Why waste them? Convert them into stock feed.

[gummy]

Hardly expected anything otherwise to be realistic

[halloween]

2 minutes ago, gummy said:

Hardly expected anything otherwise to be realistic

Do you mean the level of hypocrisy from PTP? Paying 50 to 100% above market price, storing it for years while paying storage fees, and then have the hide to complain it is being sold at a loss, really takes some beating, doesn't it.

[cmsally]

[candide]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Pisit said he was not sure if it was feasible for the government to grade the rice more specifically since the volume was huge. In addition, he said, new rice harvests were coming onto the market, so farmers could be affected in terms of pricing if there was a large supply of old rice for human consumption.

So there are no irregularities but the auditor also states that he's not sure the rice has been properly audited. And anyway there is too much rice on the market so it is better to downgrade it in order to avoid oversupply. 

[seajae]

much of the rice was no good when govt changed hands, they did tests then and there was a lot of crap rice, trying to claim they arent making enough from it is a joke seeing they were the ones that paid double what it was really worth to get voted in with no regard to the actual posses involved. These ptp  morons are a joke, trying to save face after they screwed the country and the farmers.

[halloween]

1 minute ago, candide said:

So there are no irregularities but the auditor also states that he's not sure the rice has been properly audited. And anyway there is too much rice on the market so it is better to downgrade it in order to avoid oversupply. 

Actually it is better NOT to have millions of tons of over-priced rice in storage, and still attracting storage fees years after its purchase. Start with that, and you can better understand the problems the rice scam is still causing the current government and the farmers struggling with low prices, and where to attribute the blame for those problems.

[candide]

39 minutes ago, halloween said:

Actually it is better NOT to have millions of tons of over-priced rice in storage, and still attracting storage fees years after its purchase. Start with that, and you can better understand the problems the rice scam is still causing the current government and the farmers struggling with low prices, and where to attribute the blame for those problems.

So you think that if a significant share of the rice sold is proper for human consumption, it will be resold only for animal consumption? I don't believe it!

If it had been done under PTP government you would be shouting like hell that it is a scam. But as it is done under the Junta's rule, it can only be right for you....

Edited August 14, 2017 by candide

[Ricardo]

34 minutes ago, halloween said:

Actually it is better NOT to have millions of tons of over-priced rice in storage, and still attracting storage fees years after its purchase. Start with that, and you can better understand the problems the rice scam is still causing the current government and the farmers struggling with low prices, and where to attribute the blame for those problems.

 

Not to mention the damage to the formerly-good reputation of Thai-rice, which will continue to affect sales overseas for years to come, the scheme just keeps-on costing the industry (and poor farmers).

 

It's not fair, since some of the rice purchased had come across the borders, from neighbouring countries, and wasn't even Thai !

 

In my own villageat the time, people were farming every small plot they could lay their hands on, understandably given the high guaranteed-price, however those plots remain unfarmed since the scheme's collapse.

 

It's positive news that PTP does now concern itself with the rice-scheme, even though "Yuttapong said the party’s move should not be seen as politically motivated."    , just a shame they weren't more keen to do so while in-power. Some of the corruption, including by government-ministers (the fake G2G sale), and losses might perhaps have been avoided.

Edited August 14, 2017 by Ricardo

[gummy]

3 hours ago, halloween said:

Do you mean the level of hypocrisy from PTP? Paying 50 to 100% above market price, storing it for years while paying storage fees, and then have the hide to complain it is being sold at a loss, really takes some beating, doesn't it.

You Junta apologists always seem to distort the topic off track.  Never mind .

[robblok]

2 hours ago, Ricardo said:

 

Not to mention the damage to the formerly-good reputation of Thai-rice, which will continue to affect sales overseas for years to come, the scheme just keeps-on costing the industry (and poor farmers).

 

It's not fair, since some of the rice purchased had come across the borders, from neighbouring countries, and wasn't even Thai !

 

In my own villageat the time, people were farming every small plot they could lay their hands on, understandably given the high guaranteed-price, however those plots remain unfarmed since the scheme's collapse.

 

It's positive news that PTP does now concern itself with the rice-scheme, even though "Yuttapong said the party’s move should not be seen as politically motivated."    , just a shame they weren't more keen to do so while in-power. Some of the corruption, including by government-ministers (the fake G2G sale), and losses might perhaps have been avoided.

The gift that keeps giving.. well done rice scheme.. it will hurt the farmers for a long time. 

[robblok]

8 minutes ago, gummy said:

You Junta apologists always seem to distort the topic off track.  Never mind .

No need to be a junta apologist to see the faults of the PTP and their disastrous rice program. 

 

 

[gummy]

Just now, robblok said:

No need to be a junta apologist to see the faults of the PTP and their disastrous rice program. 

 

 

Agreed just wear the rose tinted glasses they hand out every Friday after the PMs lecture

[Yinglove]

If not already, then very shortly, I do believe the junta's mishandling of the rice stockpile will surpass the losses accrued by PTP.

Well done Generals, very impressive indeed.

[robblok]

9 minutes ago, gummy said:

Agreed just wear the rose tinted glasses they hand out every Friday after the PMs lecture

I want the PM gone... but I don't think the PTP is that much better.  The junta has had it chance.. and did not enough IMHO. 

[robblok]

Just now, Yinglove said:

If not already, then very shortly, I do believe the junta's mishandling of the rice stockpile will surpass the losses accrued by PTP.

Well done Generals, very impressive indeed.

Again you show your non accounting skills. Hard to surpass 500 billion 

[Yinglove]

Just now, robblok said:

Again you show your non accounting skills. Hard to surpass 500 billion 

If anyone can do it, it'd be Prayuth.

[robblok]

9 minutes ago, Yinglove said:

If anyone can do it, it'd be Prayuth.

Not with the rice sales, buying stupid military hardware.. maybe.

[halloween]

3 hours ago, candide said:

So you think that if a significant share of the rice sold is proper for human consumption, it will be resold only for animal consumption? I don't believe it!

If it had been done under PTP government you would be shouting like hell that it is a scam. But as it is done under the Junta's rule, it can only be right for you....

Oh sorry, I thought you might remember that the 8 rice warehousess, backed by PTP, that are making this claim are also the ones being prosecuted for mishandling of the rice storage, and that these claims were only made AFTER they were informed of the prosecution. Their counter claim is a CYA, supported by PTP,  but it's not political.

[zzaa09]

1 hour ago, Yinglove said:

If not already, then very shortly, I do believe the junta's mishandling of the rice stockpile will surpass the losses accrued by PTP.

Well done Generals, very impressive indeed.

Patting themselves on the back as we speak.

 

Well done.

[Srikcir]

14 hours ago, webfact said:

the government’s rice-quality grading and bidding methods used in selling off the final stock of 2.8 million tonnes was credible based on the office’s observations

And yet

14 hours ago, webfact said:

Pisit said he was not sure if it was feasible for the government to grade the rice more specifically since the volume was huge

So it would seem that the government did an "office" audit - from the office.

One might call that malfeasance negligence, a crime for which Yingluck was charged but for which the Prayut regime stands untouchable.

 

[Srikcir]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

The gift that keeps giving.. well done rice scheme.. it will hurt the farmers for a long time. 

Rice farmers got paid 50 to 100% above market price for their rice or more than 500 billion baht because of Yingluck's rice pledge program. That truly was a "gift" or what some might call a "populist subsidy." Something that Prayutu has repeated with rice and extended to rubber.

[Chris Lawrence]

Its called 'feeding the chooks'. 

 

No one knows where the good rice is anymore as a set of very creative accounts are presently in formation that will come under the heading 'Article 44'. If you half it, will read 'a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions:' One connotation of the term is that the creators of the "catch-22" situation have created arbitrary rules in order to justify and conceal their own abuse of power.' Wikipedia

[candide]

1 hour ago, halloween said:

Oh sorry, I thought you might remember that the 8 rice warehousess, backed by PTP, that are making this claim are also the ones being prosecuted for mishandling of the rice storage, and that these claims were only made AFTER they were informed of the prosecution. Their counter claim is a CYA, supported by PTP,  but it's not political.

So what? Either 100% of the rice is not fit for human consumption, or a share of it is fit for human consumption and will be resold on the human consumption market despite the fact that it was bought at the price for animal consumption.

It is easy to check and the auditor general himself admits he has not checked it and is not sure of the quality of the rice sold.

[scorecard]

2 hours ago, gummy said:

Agreed just wear the rose tinted glasses they hand out every Friday after the PMs lecture

 

Or listen for the 'yes sir, I will vote anyway you want me too and I will continue to keep my mouth shut even though I really don't agree with the scam polices which I think are actually unethical', repeated with vigor after receipt of every offshore salary payment.

[Baerboxer]

17 hours ago, gummy said:

Agreed just wear the rose tinted glasses they hand out every Friday after the PMs lecture

 

So you believe that PTP are actually faultless and that the rice scam wasn't a disaster?

 

Wouldn't worry about the color of your spectacles. It's the bit behind them!

[Baerboxer]

15 hours ago, Srikcir said:

And yet

So it would seem that the government did an "office" audit - from the office.

One might call that malfeasance negligence, a crime for which Yingluck was charged but for which the Prayut regime stands untouchable.

 

 

Only the current PM didn't appoint himself to Chair the policy/scheme and then not bother to attend any meetings. Nor as he, AFAIK, treated warnings from the World Bank, IMF, Bloomberg or the OAG with contempt and indifference. Unlike the former disgraced PM currently waiting the verdict in her court case.

 

Btw, why do you think she never mentioned and explained her behavior as part of her defense? Choosing the parroted "I haven't done anything wrong" so oft heard from her brother instead.

[halloween]

14 hours ago, candide said:

So what? Either 100% of the rice is not fit for human consumption, or a share of it is fit for human consumption and will be resold on the human consumption market despite the fact that it was bought at the price for animal consumption.

It is easy to check and the auditor general himself admits he has not checked it and is not sure of the quality of the rice sold.

So what? Those making the self-serving claims have very suspect credibility, and that includes (it's not political) PTP. Meanwhile, the storage fees keep mounting on a commodity of very little value.