The government plans to purchase rice directly from farmers, to solve the problem of falling rice prices.

In Thursday's House session, an opposition Pheu Thai Party MP for Phitsanulok province, Niyom Changpinit, made a verbal interpellation on the government's rice price guarantee program, causing a sharp fall in the market price of rice. The scheme's procedures remain unclear.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the government is aware of the problems, and he will organize a meeting of the National Rice Policy Committee on Monday, October 19 to find solutions.

Initially, Abhisit said he would instruct the Commerce Ministry to procure rice from farmers directly, saying this would prevent further declines in rice prices.

The premier insisted that the farm price guarantee would be advantageous to farmers and the government would spend less budget compared to the rice-pledging scheme that has previously been used.

Source: TANN