Farmers happy as rice payments begin.

[huahin4ever]

Good news for all the rice farmers in Thailand!

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/4 ... next-month

[Takiap]

Good news for all the rice farmers in Thailand!

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/4 ... next-month

Yes, very good news for the farmers indeed. I've been reading about it and to be honest, I was shocked to discover just how money is involved. Talked about a failed policy, and the ones it was supposed to have helped, have been the ones who have suffered the most. Anyway, at least they are being paid now.

[oakdale160]

Its the right thing to do AND politically smart thing to do, a unique double.

[HHCanuck]

The sad thing is many farmers including my brother-in-law bought farm equipment thinking there would be a great future. I tried to warn him from day one that the rice scheme was unsustainable from an honest capable government let alone a Thai government but he didn't listen. He is in a terrible situation now and the low rice prices will wreak havoc on him and other farmers.

Unfortunately in his smugness he and his wife drove a wedge between themselves and the rest of the family so he wouldn't dare ask for help nor would my wife offer it.

[uncle tom]

The article says they are borrowing the money, yet it has always seemed to me that the rational solution would be to print it instead.

If the world price of rice is too low, then the Baht is too high - printing the money would drop the value of the Baht and close the gap. It would also boost tourism and inward industrial investment.

Anyway, have started the scheme, it needed to be honoured.

The next thing to do is to sell off the warehoused rice, at whatever price the market will offer. Warehousing provides too much scope for waste and fraud.

[TingTongJohn]

The other issue is the rice farmers will expect help all the time now and I doubt that this is going to be continuous thing nor will the Thai government be able to afford it. And I think there is the issue of government subsidy which will go to court by other rice farming countries saying unfair advantage for Thai rice farmers.

[Frank La Rue]

[quote="uncle tom"]The article says they are borrowing the money, yet it has always seemed to me that the rational solution would be to print it instead.

If the world price of rice is too low, then the Baht is too high - printing the money would drop the value of the Baht and close the gap. It would also boost tourism and inward industrial investment.

Anyway, have started the scheme, it needed to be honoured.

The next thing to do is to sell off the warehoused rice, at whatever price the market will offer. Warehousing provides too much scope for waste and fraud.''



My wife and her family feels/thinks that justice has been done with the fact that rice farmers are being paid.
The wider scope is not on the table. What happens next?

Whilst the military gov is the only sollution they need a long term plan.

Like Vision 2200.

I am not joking, other countries look at spending and wellfare demands 2050, 2200 is coming up, population increase (that's were we the farangs come in to play), demography, industrial base, inflation.

I get tired already, I go to bed...........

[europtimiste]

The funny thing is that good news came just after coup.
At gunpoint you do everything, so they found the money.

[Spitfire]

It may be the right thing to do and a politically smart move, but the rural farmer problem can only be bought-off and postponed, at best, by throwing money at it (or into the abyss as some would say) to make it go away for a bit. Even debt cancelation wouldn't work as they would all go straight back out and indebt themselves again to the max.

Paying the farmers essentially 'buys time' for the junta to square-away some things and let everyone get used to the idea of military rule for the present. However, how long will it be before the farmers and rural masses need more help/money?

Not long is my guess.

The situation in the countryside is simply just not tenable in this form of feudal and antiquated micro farming set up....but there is little that can be done about it really. It will not be resolved for another 20-25 years when the older generation that currently tills and populates these places...........moves on from this mortal coil. After that, then this problem will diminish by a considerable amount as many of their children have gone off to get their degrees (many at the price of putting the family in debt) to have a city life working in an office and certainly have no intention of being farmers themselves. This will also result in larger farming operations as land will be sold off by those who have no desire or inclination to follow their parents into farming.

The indebted and poverty stricken farmers are a product of a system that has constantly failed to bring about social justice, education and reasonable distribution of national wealth over a very long period of time. Whoever is in charge of this country will have to continue 'buying off' this problem/situation and there is no-one else to blame other than the discriminatory system that has existed for so long and has been on ample display recently.

What has made the problem worse in the last 15 years is communication technology, social media, affordability of TV, the Internet etc. and everyone [even the hill-billy lao-kow drinking farm labourer] has a phone with Youtube and Facebook on it.....and that's not even mentioning the huge sense of personal empowerment that people think they now have about their opinions and that they have a stake in everything.

I heavily doubt it that a solution other than 'servicing' the rural/farmer problem (until it self-expires) can be found.....especially by the military or the disconnected elite in Bangkok.

[uncle tom]

Even debt cancelation wouldn't work

The concept of debt cancellation brings out snorts of contempt from the prudent and debt free, but it's potential to serve as an economic stimulant makes it an interesting idea.

Essentially, instead of hoping that people will run up debts, spend the money and boost the economy - an effective concept that gives a short term boost, but leaves a deadly hangover; you embark on a tightening of credit to prevent renewed debt build-up, but at the same time print the money to write off a substantial percentage of existing consumer debt.

This leaves the indebted with extra money to spend as they have to spend less servicing their loans, thereby lifting the economy.

In Thailand it would also provide relief for those farmers who put too much faith in the pledging scheme..

[MrPlum]

More bad news for the rice-pledging scheme...

'A rice deal that never existed in the first place'
http://www.bangkokpost.com/blogs/index. ... fi?blog=63

[Roel]

Same old story. The only ones benefiting from the indirect vote buying rice pledging scheme are luxury car dealers, jewelers, gold shops and real estate agents who delivered to the corrupt.

I would not be surprised if the politicians use this big hoax one more time in October next year to secure votes before it is officially abolished after the elections. Not sure whether the military can legally pull the plug now. That would be best for all. Then the farmers (i.e. poor people) would realize they are on their own before the politicians start their bombastic campaigns based on empty promises again.

[dtaai-maai]

Great article. The silver lining in this cloud is that as long as we see critical articles like this from Thais in Thai publications, there is some hope for the future.

And I loved this: "A dead elephant cannot be covered up by lotus leaves."

[STEVE G]

Great article. The silver lining in this cloud is that as long as we see critical articles like this from Thais in Thai publications, there is some hope for the future.

And I loved this: "A dead elephant cannot be covered up by lotus leaves."

That article is from 2012 when you could be more critical in the press!

[MrPlum]

Great article. The silver lining in this cloud is that as long as we see critical articles like this from Thais in Thai publications, there is some hope for the future.

And I loved this: "A dead elephant cannot be covered up by lotus leaves."

That article is from 2012 when you could be more critical in the press!

Dammit Steve. Please stop being so observant.