Thai government attempts to shore up rubber prices

BANGKOK, January 7 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, is seeking ways to help boost rubber prices for local growers, including exploring the potential for more Thai rubber exports to overseas markets. Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya told journalists of the update on Thursday, saying that he plans to lead Thai business operators to visit India and Russia in the near future to explore ways to sell more Thai rubber to the two countries in order to shore up Thai rubber prices. General Chatchai revealed that he has also asked both the Transport and the Industry Ministries to explore ways to use more natural rubber on their projects. Besides, General Chatchai acknowledged, he has assigned his assistant to visit and discuss with local rubber growers within this week on problems they are encountering so that the government could find ways to assist them. According to the minister, average prices of raw natural rubber sheets and smoked rubber sheets in Hat Yai of Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani Provinces in the Thai South now stand at 34–36 baht a kilogramme. The minister pointed out that natural rubber prices have been declining for a certain period on the domestic market in line with global rubber prices. Regarding a demand by local rubber growers for the Thai government to help raise the domestic rubber price to 60 baht a kilogramme, the minister admitted that the demand cannot be met immediately, but his ministry has implemented eight measures to initially assist local growers, including supporting them to grow other economic crops to substitute rubber to earn their living. (TNA)