PM orders increase in local rubber consumption

BANGKOK, July 12 (TNA) -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered governmental organizations to increase their consumption of local rubber, saying oversupply resulted in low rubber prices. He said after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that his government was trying comprehensive solutions to low rubber prices but there were too many rubber plantations in the country including 3 million rai of rubber plantations encroaching on forests. He said that the government could not order farmers to cut all rubber plantations; otherwise, they would be in trouble. However, he encouraged rubber growers to shift to other plants such as durian and mangosteen that were priced highly in markets. Without the change, rubber prices could not rise, he said. In the meantime, the prime minister ordered governmental organizations to consume local rubber to help increase its prices. The engineering military would use rubber to build roads, and health and sports organizations would follow suits, he said. Government subsidies would not solve the problem of low rubber prices at its root cause, Gen Prayut said. (TNA)