Rubber problems in Thailand expected to be resolved within two-three years

BANGKOK, September 19 (TNA) - Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha says that he expects rubber problems in Thailand should be resolved over the next couple of years. General Prayuth, who is also Chief of the army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), told journalists on Friday that he will include rubber problems on the national agenda because Thailand is a world leading rubber producer, assessing that the rubber problems in the country should be resolved within the next two-three years. General Prayuth stated that in the short term, the government will issue urgent measures to assist rubber growers, including offering compensation at 2,520 baht per rai for growers who have registered themselves and a five billion baht loan through the Rubber Replanting Aid Fund (RRAF). General Prayuth revealed that, apart from providing loan to rubber growers, RRAF will also buy rubber from growers. For medium and long-term plans, General Prayuth elaborated that rubber plantations will be controlled and a research will be held for supporting the production of rubber processing, aimed at increasing rubber value. According to the prime minister, the permanent secretary for agriculture and cooperatives is scheduled to attend a tripartite committee meeting among rubber producing countries next week, during which he will also seek agreed measures enabling rubber prices in Thailand to match with the global market mechanism. On growers' demand that domestic rubber prices be raised to 70 baht per kilogramme, the prime minister noted that representatives of rubber growers had informed that a planned demonstration of local rubber growers would be called off, as the growers now understand the government’s stance and efforts to help boost rubber prices. The decision by rubber planters to scrap the planned demonstration against the government was made, following a meeting of the Natural Rubber Policy Committeeheld earlier in the day at Bangkok's Government House, chaired by the prime minister and attended by parties concerned, including Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula, who oversees economic affairs, Commerce Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Pitipong Phungboon Na Ayudhya and those involving in rubber-related businesses. Friday's meeting also approved four measures proposed by the Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, including consuming more rubber and processing it in order to increase its prices, offering soft loan to farming institutions which buy rubber, creating markets to purchase natural rubber and cooperating with foreign countries in laying out an agreed rubber management system. Meanwhile, the prime minister suggested that domestic political atmosphere for the time being remains not conducive for people to organise any political movement in the country, as the martial law has been maintained since May 2014. The prime minister stressed that he understands well that he has not come from an election system in administering the country, and he has to, therefore, lay out regulations to maintain peace and order. (TNA)