Thai oil palm famers threaten to close road over falling prices

RANONG, THAILAND, December 8 (TNA) - Oil palm farmers in Thailand’s southern Ranong province have threatened that they would close roads around the provincial town hall if the government did not solve the problem of falling oil palm prices within a month. Suwit Rakmai, chairman of Ranong's oil palm association, said Saturday that local oil palm farmers are heavily suffered from the low oil palm prices and want concerned agencies to urgently solve the problem, suggesting that the government stop importing palm oil to boost domestic oil palm prices. Suwait said his association has submitted a letter to the Ranong Governor to be forwarded to the government, demanding that the administration set a reference price for oil palm at six baht per kilogram, and that if no action was taken over the matter within one month, some 4,000 oil palm farmers in Ranong would stage a rally and dump their oil palms at the provincial town hall to demonstrate their suffering. (TNA)