As costs do not include costs, groups gather at Government House to ask for immediate assistance.
PUBLISHED: 19 Feb 2025 at 20: 42
Producers gathered at Government House in Bangkok on Wednesday to demand that the government raise grain prices from the latest 6, 000 to 10, 000 ringgit per kilo.
Farmers from several provinces, including Sukhothai, Phitsanulok and Suphan Buri, were hoping to meet with the prime minister, the crops or the business secretary to discuss measures to tackle falling corn prices. Immediately after noon, Deputy Commerce Minister Suchart Chomklin spoke with them.
Farmers in northern Thailand have now begun harvesting their off-season grain, but prices have dropped to between 6, 000 and 7, 000 ringgit a kilogram, compared with 10, 000 to 11, 000 ringgit a year ago, resulting in significant costs.
Commerce Minister Pichai Naripthaphan claimed this week that the recent decline in grain prices was mostly caused by external factors, particularly India’s resumed exports and Indonesian and Filipino demand.
One Suphan Buri farmer who attended the meeting on Wednesday stated that he was awaiting a ruling ruling from the state before starting to harvest his crop.
Farmers ‘ representatives from the northern provinces have previously complained to the state through provincial administrators.
Farmers from Ayutthaya protested by blocking roads next month, prompting the Ministry of Commerce to reveal urgent measures, including having its statewide offices set up rice-buying points.
Another farmer from Phichit claimed that his grain output expense$ 6,000 per tonne but that he had to sell it for less, primarily because of pest problems.
In the northern area, there are two times when rice is grown each time, in-season and off-season. Rice planted in the winter is planted in December and harvested in February and March.
A nationwide committee on grain policy and management is rumored to have plans to convene on Thursday to tackle the rice price crisis. The issue is also scheduled to be discussed by the House crops commission.
Pramote Charoensilp, chairman of the Thai Agriculturists Association, said the organization submitted a notice to the prime minister, the agriculture minister and the business chancellor on Monday.
The letter urges the government to assist farmers by providing compensation in the form of a 500 baht per ray fine for breaking the restrictions on straw losing and an extra 500 baht per rai for small rice prices.
To avoid middlemen and lessen the risk of fraud, Mr. Pramote emphasized the necessity of strong obligations to farmers.