Farmers in Thai South to rally against low oil palm prices

PATTALUNG, THAILAND, December 11 (TNA) - Farmers in the Thai South have demanded that the government help assure oil palm prices at no lower than six baht per kilogramme and improve the gathering system of the raw oil palm produce nationwide, announcing a plan to rally in Surat Thani province Wednesday, before traveling to Bangkok, to urge the government to urgently take action as demanded. About 200 oil palm farmers in Phattalung province, led by Opas Nuchit, president of the provincial oil palm farmers cooperatives, gathered in front of the provincial City Hall Tuesday to submit the written demands to the government, through Phattalung Governor Winyu Thongsakul. The prices of raw oil palms in Thailand have plunged to some 2.82 baht per kilogramme, but production costs now stand around 4.29 baht per kilogramme, causing local growers a huge loss, at about 46 million baht in Phattalung alone, where there are about 30,500 rais of oil palm plantations with the production capacity of 150 oil palm trees a day. Phattalung's oil palm farmers said, among the demands, they particularly want the Thai government to assure the prices of raw oil palm at, at least, 6 baht per kilogramme and to improve the gathering system of oil plam produce nationwide. The chief of Phattalung's oil palm farmers cooperatives vowed that oil palm farmers in six southern Thai provinces of Chumpon, Ranong, Krabi, Trang, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani would join a mass rally at Surat Thani's oil palm farmers cooperatives tomorrow, before traveling to the capital, if their demands were not heeded by authorities concerned. Meanwhile, Surat Thani Governor Chatpong Chattaraphuti called a meeting with local authorities concerned to discuss ways to boost the local oil palm prices and to deal with the, probably, mass protest of the southern oil palm growers. (TNA)