Projects to help rice farmers approved
The National Rice Policy Committee has approved maintaining the price of unmilled rice for the production year 2019 to 2020 with a budget of Bt31.49 billion in order to help rice farmers, Permanent Secretary of Commerce Ministry, Boonyarit Kalayanamit, said following the meeting on Friday (December 6).
“This measure will be operated in parallel with the project of income guarantee for rice farmers,” he said.
The measures are divided into the following categories:
1. Payment of harvest fee and improving rice quality: Bt27.45 billion. This project will help farmers who registered in the first planting of the production year 2019 to 2020 and involves 4.57 million households who are entitled to Bt500 per rai, but not exceeding 20 rai or Bt10,000 per household. The committee will offer only one right per household.
2. Loans for rice collection by the Farmers Institute and compensation for rice traders to keep the stock. The committee approved the additional budget allocation of Bt1.37 billion for Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC)’s loans to delay the sale of unmilled rice.
The committee also approved the project to support the production cost for rice farmers by increasing the target to 4.57 million households, up by 0.26 million households from the previous 4.31 million households.
3. The committee extended the payment period for farmers in other regions from December 31 to April 30 next year, and approved an additional budget of Bt2.66 billion to reduce costs for farmers.
