The cabinet has agreed in principle to the Asean plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR), as proposed by the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry, deputy government spokesman Watchara Kannika said on Tuesday.

The cabinet also approved the setting up of the ATPERR secretariat temporary office at the Office of Agricultural Economics, at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. The secretariat office will become a permanent unit once the APTERR agreement takes effect, said Mr Watchara.

In addition, the cabinet approved the use of 15,000 tonnes of rice reserved under the Asean Food Security Reserve as the earmark reserve of the APTERR.

The cabinet also approved the draft APTERR agreement and empowered the minister of agriculture and cooperatives to sign the agreement at the 10th Asean ministers meeting on agriculture and forestry plus three. The meeting is to be held later this month in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The cabinet empowered the minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives to set up the ATPERR policy committee on Thailand’s part. The panel will comprise representatives from relevant agencies with the representative from the Office of Agricultural Economics as secretary-general.

A five-year budget approval of 970,000 baht budget annually was also approved by the cabinet for the APTERR fund.

Source: Bangkok Post