Agricultural prices high on agenda of new minister

A survey by ruling coalition partner Democrat Party on the production and price of agricultural products found that the price of rubber has seen a sharp decline.
The ministry has not taken action yet, as it is waiting for the incoming government to first announce its policies.
“The price of rubber price has dropped considerably and this issue needs to be taken care of,” he said.
The party already has plans to support farmers. However the 2019 government budget, which has not been released yet, could pose challenges, he said.
He urged the Agriculture and Cooperatives, Commerce and Finance ministries to work together to address these issues in the upcoming months.
The issue of drop in agricultural prices and drought should be considered national agenda, said deputy minister Thamanas Phrongphao, attributing the problem of prices to the role of middlemen.
Chalermchai will oversee the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, Office of Agricultural Economics, Royal Irrigation Department, Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation and the Rubber Authority of Thailand.
Thamanas is expected to take care of the Office of Agricultural Land Reform, Department of Fisheries, Marketing Organisation for Farmers and the Rice Department.
The other deputy minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Prapat Phothasuthan, is expected to oversee the Department of Agricultural Extension and the Department of Livestock Development.