PM:Thai government seriously solves farmers' problems

BANGKOK, January 29 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha assures that his government is trying seriously to solve local farmers' problems. Prime Minister General Prayut stressed on the attempt on Thursday while chairing a meeting of ministerial heads at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in Bangkok, saying he is concerned that the problems have not yet been solved. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, in the meantime, proposed integrated actions among concerned agencies for solutions to the low prices of natural rubber, tapioca, sugarcane, corn and rice, as local rubber growers have threatened to stage a big rally on January 30 to pressure for higher rubber prices. The meeting also considered marketing plans for Thai farm products and land allocation for the poor. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce organized the first auction of government rice this year, involving the largest amount of grains in one auction. The event attracted 100 contenders and involved 990,000 tons of rice worth at least 11.6 billion baht. (TNA)