Thai farmers hold meeting with authorities

AYUTTHAYA, February 8 (TNA) - About 60 farmers representing local farmers from 40 Thai provinces nationwide held a meeting in Ayutthaya Province in the central region on Saturday (Feb 8) afternoon to discuss a plan by the caretaker government to ask rice millers to initially offer financial assistance to farmers who have not yet received money from the official rice-pledging programme. Vichien Puanglamchiak, President of the Thai Farmers and Agriculturists Association, told reporters that those attending the meeting include members of the association, as well as Caretaker Deputy Commerce Minister Yanyong Phuangrach and a former MP Ayutthaya, Wittaya Buranasiri. Issues relating to approaching drought and how the government can help local farmers were also expected to be raised at the meeting. A large group of disgruntled farmers, meanwhile, has assembled in front of the Commerce Ministry in Bangkok for the third consecutive day, vowing that they will keep rallying there until they receive an overdue payment from the government-sponsored rice-pledging scheme. Prasit Boonchuey, President of the Thai Rice Farmers Association, urged the caretaker government to urgently sell 18 million tonnes of rice stored at warehouses to rice millers and traders nationwide, saying he believes that the move will earn the caretaker administration some 100 billion baht enough for its payment to farmers joining in the rice-pledging scheme. (TNA)