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THE committee overseeing rice policies and the management of the sector has given the green light for the sale of almost 363,000 tonnes of government rice to the winners of auctions last week. The total amount of rice bid for was 570,000 tonnes.
Of the total sold, 141,489 tonnes will be used for general purposes, while 221,375 tonnes was bought by the industrial sector, particularly producers of feedmeal and noodles.
Chutima Bunyapraphasara, permanent secretary of the Commerce Ministry, said the Foreign Trade Department was expected to announce the next rice auctions in mid-March and start the bids late that month. It is expected that between 400,000 tonnes and 500,000 tonnes will be auctioned.
One or two rice auctions are scheduled from March to July when farmers finish their harvest.
This will help prevent negative impacts on rice prices in the country, the ministry said.

FAST-TRACKING SOUGHT
Fast-tracking of the Pink Line and Yellow Line mass-transit projects will be proposed to the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Policy Committee on Monday, said Transport Ministry permanent secretary Chartchai Tipsunave.
The Pink Line project is the 34.5-kilometre Khae Rai-Min Buri section with a cost of Bt56.69 billion and the 30.4km Yellow Line project runs from Lat Phrao to Samrong, worth Bt54.64 billion.
Meanwhile, he said the Orange Line route from the Thailand Cultural Centre to Min Buri was expected to be put before the Cabinet for approval next week. That project will cost about Bt110.12 billion.
The PPP fast-track scheme shortens the process of consideration for any project to nine months from 24 months before commencing construction.