Government’s rubber purchase to start in Thai South

BANGKOK, January 13 (TNA) - The government’s plan on purchasing natural rubber to assist growers will begin with the Thai South before expanding to other regions. Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha told journalists of the update after the Cabinet's weekly meeting on January 12, saying that the decision is based on the degrees of rubber growers’ trouble in different regions and his government cannot afford to implement the plan simultaneously nationwide. The prime minister praised rubber growers in the Thai Northeast for also growing other plants to generate extra income. The Thai premier stressed that there will not be a subsidy, but there will be sustainable and systematic solutions based on military and political ways of thinking, covering the production, research and development (R&D), support for product manufacturing and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the marketing of products. According to the Thai premier, his government will set a feasible rubber purchase price to assist growers, develop rubber products and certify their quality to promote product purchase by both government and private agencies to solve the problem of low rubber prices currently. (TNA)