Wiboonlasana Ruamraksa, permanent secretary of the Commerce Ministry, said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who chaired the meeting, wanted rice stocks to be drawn down by the end of this year to help save maintenance costs of about Bt510 million per month. 
The releasing plan should consider the market situation and not affect the market price during the harvest season, Wiboonlasana said.&nbsp; 
The committee also agreed to donate 1,500 tonnes of rice to help flood victims in the South.&nbsp; 
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Rice release agreed

The National Rice Policy Committee Monday agreed to allow the release of 8 million tonnes of rice from government stockpiles this year, aiming to cut storage costs.