Old rice ‘to be auctioned next month’

Minister advises critics to prevent “devaluing” Indian corn and move on.

Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai announced on Tuesday that the government may auction off 10 year old corn leftover from the Yingluck Shinawatra government’s rice-pledging program next month.

He stated that a committee will be established to oversee the bidding process and ensure its clarity and that the auction is expected to be conducted no later than the end of June.

The board will include representatives from the Public Warehouse Organisation, the Marketing Organisation for Farmers, the Internal Trade Department, the Foreign Trade Department and the Thai Chamber of Commerce, he said.

Mr Phumtham even, who is also a deputy prime minister, called on reviewers to prevent “devaluing” the corn and move on to other pressing concerns, such as the business. &nbsp,

He remarked that the Department of Medical Sciences and a personal lab had checked the corn and determined it to be safe for use.

The Ministry of Commerce sent two command samples of rice to the department for testing on Monday, according to the department, who determined that the samples were both safe for consumption and nutritionally equivalent.

But, some still questioned whether the grain samples were really from the Surin warehouses where the grain from the corruption-plagued pledging plan had been kept.

They also suggested that the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) collect samples and observe the entire process in order to ensure transparency, and that new testing be conducted.

Somsak Thepsutin, the minister of public health, defused people resentment.

” Transparency or not, is this how we judge it? You should concentrate on whether the corn will sell well. If it is sold at a good price, the problem may be resolved, he said.

According to government official Chai Wacharonke, Mr. Phumtham had informed the government of the exam results and the tentative plan for the June auction.

On May 6, Mr. Phumtham led a team of officials and reporters to check two wheat warehouses in Surin to demonstrate that the wheat that was stored there for ten years was also nutritious and sufficient to get sold to raise cash.

The bid is expected to collect about 270 million baht and lower storeroom costs, which may reach up to 380, 000 ringgit per month.