Decade-old stock of rice to be tested before purchase
The Defence Ministry said on Thursday that it will perform stringent tests on rice stored under the rice-pledging scheme for 10 years to make sure it is safe for consumption before buying it to serve to military personnel.
Also on Thursday, Ministry spokesman Rear Admiral Thanitphong Sirisawetsak clarified an interview with Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang, who said earlier that day that the army would buy part of the 15,000-tonne stock left over from the rice scheme to feed military personnel.
The scheme, implemented under Yingluck Shinawatra’s government during 2012-2013, was found to be fraught with fraud and corruption, which were partly responsible for her ousting in a military coup in 2014.
The plan to sell the rice to the army was earlier announced by Deputy PM and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, sparking public concern that the decade-old rice might not be safe for consumption.
“The ministry is happy to support government policies and campaigns,” said Thanitphong. “Each branch of the armed forces will thoroughly check the quality of the rice before buying it to feed its personnel.”
Jirayu Houngsub, defence spokesman for political affairs, said on Thursday that Sutin’s plan was “sensible”, pointing out that it would be unreasonable to get rid of perfectly good rice.
“Rice that has been tested and is declared safe for consumption by a reliable agency should be sold to private or government sectors who wish to buy it,” he said. “This will help generate revenue for the state that can be used for other development projects.”
“I want to make it clear: The minister said that the army would buy the rice only after it had passed the quality test. If it fails, we will reject it,” Jirayu said.
