Rubber scheme: Gov to consider spending billions to buy farmers’ stock at market price

Agriculture officials will ask the appointed cabinet to spend THB6 billion to purchase inventory from rubber farmers.

Amnuay Patise of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives said Sunday purchasing 60,000 tons of stock over the next two months from farmers would help increase the market price and be a boost for the farmers.

Just last month former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was retroactively impeached for her role in a government subsidy for rice farmers which was hoped to see the market lifted but instead saw Thailand undercut by other producers and led to massive losses.

Northern rice farmers were among base constituencies of the former ruling party ousted by the military last  year, while southern rubber farmers are traditional allies of the Democrat Party.

According to a state media report, a representative of Surat Thani rubber tappers, Phairote Rerkdi, said his group would march on Government House to demand the price subsidy if their demand the government buy up all rubber products from each tambon every month are not met.

Photo: Trans World Productions