Ministry prepares raft of measures to boost rice prices including opening direct markets

The Cabinet Tuesday also approved a Bt18-billion proposal to implement a rice-pledging scheme in Pathum Thani and for white rice paddy as Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha expressed appreciation to the public and private sectors for their cooperation and efforts in helping farmers hit hard by low paddy prices, which now average only Bt5,000 to Bt6,000 per tonne.
For instance, many private companies have directly purchased more than 600 tonnes of white rice from farmer groups, while farm cooperatives have stepped up their efforts to boost local communities’ capacity for rice production and milling for longer-term sustainability.