Press to sell old rice raises concerns

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai brings pressreporters to see old rice stocks in Surin early this month. (Photo: Ministry of Commerce) Critics have knocked the federalgovernment’s strategy to sell decade-old rice, implicating it of trying to whitewash the loss-ridden rice-pledging plan of previous prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s administration. The strategy to export the decade-old rice will destroy the international credibility of Thailand’s premium rice in the world market, they stated. Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai firmlyinsisted the federalgovernment desires to auction off the last stocks of 15,000 tonnes of rice left over from the questionable rice-pledging plan so the federalgovernment can make some earnings. Mr Phumtham stated the bidding is anticipated to produce earnings of about 270 million baht and lower storage expenses, which are as high as 380,000 baht per month. He stated the old rice is anticipated to be exported to Africa. Early this month, Mr Phumtham, the deputy leader of the judgment Pheu Thai Party, led a group of authorities and pressreporters to check 2 rice storagefacilities in the northeastern province of Surin to program that the promised rice kept there 10 years ago is still edible. He consumed prepared rice from the storagefacilities in front of the pressreporters who accompanied him. He stated the old rice might be cleaned in water up to 15 times before cooking, when it would be prepared for usage. The minister stated the rice at both storagefacilities hadactually been thoroughly protected and was often fumigated, while the storagefacilities were sealed to avoid birds and rainwater from getting within. But critics argue the rice appears to be in “good condition” since it hasactually been through cycles of fumigation for over a years. If the rice needs fumigation every 2 months, it hasactually been through 60 fumigation cycles, which is dangerous to individuals’s health. The rice-eating stunt is reminiscent of the fried chicken consuming program managed by previous prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra at Sanam Luang in February 2004 to show Thai chicken was safe listbelow the breakout of bird influenza in Thailand. The Yingluck rice-pledging plan, which ran from 2011 to 2014, was the biggest rice market intervention program in Thai history. Throughout the plan, the federalgovernment purchased grains from farmers at well above the market cost without setting any limitation on the quantity acquired for the veryfirst time. This resulted in losses amountingto hundreds of billions of baht. Yingluck gotaway the nation in 2017 simply previously the Supreme Court sentenced her to 5 years in prison for stoppingworking to stop phony and corruption-plagued government-to-government sales. After the plan ended in May 2014, approximately 18.6 million tonnes of rice stayed. On Sept 10, 2018, the administration of prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha offered 17.8 million tonnes or 95.7%, getting profits of about 146 billion baht. Political intends Olarn Thinbangtieo, a political science speaker at Burapha University, informed the Bangkok Post he thought the federalgovernment had engaged in a political tactic. “It is comparable to t
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