Thai government urged to speed up paying money to farmers

BANGKOK, June 8 (TNA) - Thai farmers have urged the government to expedite on paying them money under the rice-pledging scheme, as it has, so far, taken 2-3 months before they can obtain money. Seven leading farmers from five Thai provinces said during the weekly TV and radio programme of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Saturday morning that most local farmers have supported the government's rice-pledging scheme, under which the government purchases rice from farmers at set prices above market prices since late 2011, aimed to raise the quality of life of Thai farmers. Admitting that local farmers still need to help themselves under the government's rice-pledging scheme by trying to cut their production costs, the seven leading farmers urged the Thai government to reduce the official process under the scheme. According to the leading farmers, after local farmers have received letters certifying that they have sold rice to the government, they still need to wait between two to three months before they can receive cash and, because of the delay, local farmers joining the programme have to borrow money in the meantime. The farmer leaders proposed that local farmers receive money within one month after they sell rice to the government under the rice-pledging scheme. (TNA)