Government rice stocks opened for sale

BANGKOK, June 5 (TNA) - Thailand's National Rice Policy Committee (NRPC), under the Ministry of Commerce, will soon organize a general bidding, the first time in 2018, to sell a total of about 43,700 tons of rice from the government stocks to rice traders. Adul Chotinisakorn, Director-General of the ministry's Department of Foreign Trade, told journalists that the move was approved by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha, in his capacity as the NRPC Chairman, and was resolved at the latest NRPC meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and NRPC Vice Chairman General Chatchai Sarikulya, in Bangkok on June 4. Adul stated that under the NRPC resolution, the 43,700 tons of grains from 20 government warehouses, totally worth about 543.08 million baht, will be sold to the maximum of nine rice traders at the upcoming general bidding event. Besides, the NRPC resolved to sell additional 2.03 tons of grains from the Thai government's stocks to domestic industrialists for the production of non-human consumption products. The senior official said his department is scheduled to brief interesting bidders on the Terms of reference (TOR) and other bidding procedures on June 5. According to the senior official, those who win the upcoming bidding will be then invited to sign rice trading contracts with his ministry's Public Warehouse Organization (PWO) and the Marketing Organization for Farmers, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, within 15 days after the list of winning bidders are officially announced. (TNA)