Palm growers to converge on Government House to demand action on prices
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Oil-palm growers from 10 southern provinces will tomorrow try to meet with the prime minister at Government House to deliver an ultimatum over low prices.
“I as a representative will not only lodge the complaint to the prime minister but will also have the government give us answers to our requests. The government will have to address our problems before next Tuesday,” Sitthiphorn Jariyaphong, deputy chairman of the National Farmers Council, said yesterday.
“We will also lodge a complaint about the low price to the governors of every province that has palm plantations tomorrow and Wednesday.”
About 1,000 palm planters yesterday reportedly left Ranong province for Bangkok. They along with those from other southern provinces will work on preparations for staging the rally in front of Government House tomorrow, he said.
About 20 representatives of palm-plantation owners in the 10 provinces will try to meet and discuss the low-price problem with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra at 10am, while 20,000-30,000 farmers will assemble at a cooperative in Surat Thani to wait for word from the government tomorrow, Sitthiphorn said.
Palm prices have dropped by half from Bt5-Bt6 per kilogram to Bt2.50-Bt2.60 since September.
The group’s demands include a guaranteed minimum price of at least Bt5 per kilogram, compensation and the promotion of biodiesel production.
Sitthiphorn said they had submitted their requests to the government several times since September but saw no progress or concrete measures even though the government had promised to help them.
Suwit Rakmai, chairman of the palm association in Ranong, said most residents of the province were farmers who raised rubber, palm and coffee trees. The price drop had caused hardships for them, as their income was lower than their investment.
