ID :
290290
Sat, 06/22/2013 - 13:28
Auther :

NIDA Poll:Most people oppose reduced rice pledge price

BANGKOK, June 22 (NTA) - More than half of Thai people surveyed have opposed the government’s recent decision on cutting the ceiling of rice pledge price, from 15,000 baht per tonne to 12,000 baht per tonne, effective from June 30, 2013. The pollster at the National Institution of Development Administration (NIDA) sought opinions, on a random basis, from 1,248 people from all walks of life nationwide from June 19-20 on the Cabinet’s decision last Wednesday. The NIDA poll found that 59.62 per cent of the respondents opposed the reduced rice pledge price, reasoning that it would affect local rice farmers’ income and increase their debts due to already-high production costs, while 36.62 per cent agreed with the Cabinet’s decision, saying that it would help the government relieve its financial burden. Some 63.38 per cent of respondents said the government should not cut the ceiling of the pledge price of jasmine or Hom Mali rice, opining that Thai jasmine rice is high quality and has high production cost. Asked about the popularity of the ruling Pheu Thai Party after its reduction in the rice pledge price, 54.17 per cent of the respondents foresaw that the ruling Pheu Thai party’s popularity should be affected as farmers, who are part of the party’s vote base, are disappointed with the government’s move. Only 4.33 per cent of the respondents projected that the ruling party’s popularity should increase, as the move should help reduce the government’s loss from the scheme. Asked about their opinions about which schemes, the rice pledging scheme of the incumbent Puea-Thai Party-led government or the rice-mortgage scheme of the previous Democrat Party-led administration, they considered yields greater benefit to Thai farmers, 44.31 per cent opted the rice-mortgage scheme, reasoning that it was likely to have less corruption and easy to be examined, which helped reduce a government loss, while 29.81 percent chose the rice pledging scheme, as farmers received higher rice price from the government. (TNA)

X