Govt vows rice crackdown

The Yingluck Shinawatra government is going all out to allay public concerns over the rice-pledging scheme.
The prime minister was quoted by government spokesman Teerat Ratanasevi as saying any people involved in corruption will be punished no matter what backing they have. As the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand presses for more public disclosure of facts and figures of the scheme, an inspection team will kick off an probe today into all warehouses and rice mills participating in the scheme.
The Agriculture Ministry also launched a zoning campaign aimed mainly at increasing rice yields and quality amid increasing production cost, targeting 500,000 rai this year.
The Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand is pressing the government for a better system to manage the rice-pledging scheme. Chairman Pramon Sutivong said the ACT had no desire to block the scheme, which is benefiting farmers, but the government would need to plug loopholes that allowed corruption.
At a press conference, he said the government must quickly initiate a probe into the entire process and punish all offenders. The government must also publicly reveal the volume and value of rice bought under the scheme as well as the volume and value of rice releases, including government-to-government deals.
The ACT also called for the government to release its stockpiled rice in small lots, right after purchase, to reduce the warehousing burden and limit the chances for corruption. Complaint centres should be set up nationwide to receive grievances involving the scheme.
The organisation submitted a written letter to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, requesting an investigation into inventories and accounting.
“The organisation is ready to provide information from our side. We have enough information from exporters and rice millers. The government has so far ignored the problems. If it wants to get serious, it can,” Pramon said.
It is also seeking a meeting with the prime minister to present the aggregated information.
Some rice millers reportedly secretly sold stockpiles. The inquiry today is expected to show if these millers cheated. The team expects to check 2,506 spots in 50 provinces. Deputy PM’s secretary-general Thawat Boonfueng said the results of inspections should be known after 6pm.
Spokesman Teerat quoted the PM as saying there’s no need to worry about if one rice mill or other “belonged” to key people.
Thawat also claimed there would be no deference for governors, government officials or politicians. “We will stick to transparency,” he said.
If any facility was found to have less than 5 per cent of the registered amount in its storage, those involved would be prosecuted for corruption.
“For paddy, we will allow a 10-per-cent difference. If what is missing is more than that, entrepreneurs and officials will be charged,” he said.
Local police and officials from several ministries will help with the inspection. Governors will head the efforts in their provinces. Any arson attack would be suspected of being carried out to destroy evidence.
Pol Colonel Tawatchai Muannara, from Phichit police, said investigators were working hard to follow up complaints on the rice scheme. Nearly 100 farmers had lodged complaints against trader Amnaj Disathien, whose testimony implicated three people at a rice mill. Arrest warrants were issued, including for Munin Jantra.
“We have found that Munin is linked to three other rice-corruption cases in recent years,” he said.
There were also signs of forgery and corruption related to the scheme in Chaiyaphum. Achariya Dejsoong-nern, head of the province’s internal trade office, said provincial authorities had closed a suspicious rice mill nearly a month ago.
Deputy government spokeswoman Sunisa Lertpakawat said the Rice Department would distribute a manual on how to cut production costs. “If farmers follow the manual, they should be able to lower the cost by Bt1,500 to Bt3,000 per rai,” she said.
Agriculture Minister Yukol Limlamthong is pushing agricultural zoning to educate farmers of the right cultivation processes for better yields with less use of chemicals. Due to poor farming methods and higher wages, the cost per rai is high. The Agricultural Economics Office says the cost for the main crop in the 2012-13 harvest year shot up to Bt9,484 per rai from Bt7,534 in 2009-10.