Steep hike in fertiliser price hurting farmers
The increasing cost of farm production is |hurting farmers after the Yingluck government secretly gave the go-ahead to fertiliser chemical traders to increase the retail price by 50-100 per cent.
Though the product is on the price-control list, current Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong, who was a Commerce Minister in December last year, has allowed an increase in the price of fertiliser chemicals.
It was found that the rise in price averaged 50-100 per cent, or about Bt4,000-Bt6,400 per tonne, depending on different formulas.
According to the Internal Trade Department, the latest price of chemical fertiliser is quoted at Bt882-Bt905 per 50-kilogram bag from Bt725-765 for the 46-0-0 formula; at Bt869-891 from Bt672-Bt746 for the 15-15-15 formula; and Bt541-Bt623 from Bt411-Bt454 for the 21-0-0 formula.
Earlier, the ministry had approved a 10-35 per cent increase in the retail price since April 2011. After that, the government followed a policy to freeze the price.
Many fertiliser chemical traders have been seeking the ministry’s permission to increase |the price again due to the surge in the price of |fuel.
One chemical fertiliser trader said that traders could no longer cope with the higher production costs following higher price in the world market.
