Thai government cushions impacts from rice pledging scheme

BANGKOK, June 24 (TNA) - Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office Varathep Rattanakorn has confirmed that the Thai government is listening to local farmers’ requests for protection from impacts of the rice pledging scheme. Varathep told reporters on Monday that the Thai government, through the Ministries of Commerce and Finance, will initially work out assistance for farmers. Varathep acknowledged that the government may review rice pledging criteria or find ways to cut costs of rice growers and increase the quality of their rice, with specific measures to relieve farmers’ problems expected to be concluded within a few days. The minister said he is not concerned over local farmers’ planned massive rally on June 25 and the government will not block farmers from rallying, expressing their opinions or even filing a complaint with the Administrative Court. The minister, meanwhile, received a written complaint from representatives of rice farmers from 26 provinces in the central region and the Lower Thai North, asking the prime minister to review the Cabinet's resolution on June 19 on cutting the government-sponsored rice pledge price from 15,000 to 12,000 baht per tonne, or to extend the 15,000-baht pledge price until the end of this harvest season in October 2013, as more than 60 per cent of rice in the present crop has not yet to be harvested. The minister promised to forward the request to the prime minister, insisting that the government is listening to opinions and recommendations of local farmers and will not ignore alleged corruption in the rice pledging scheme. (TNA)