Rice farmers are not happy with the cabinet's decision to raise the price paid for pledged rice by only 1,000 baht as it still does not cover the cost of growing a crop, Thai Farmers Association chairman Prasit Boonchoey said on Wednesday.

Farmers still have to meet a range of rising costs, including fertilisers and pesticides, Mr Prasit said.

"The rice price has not been raised for several years. The call for the rice pledging price to increase to 14,000 baht a tonne is not too high because prices of consumer goods have already gone up," he said.

The farmers association chairman confirmed that he had discussed the issue with Deputy Prime Minister for economic matters Trairong Suwannakhiri. However, he still wanted to meet Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to directly discuss a suitable rice price with him.

Mr Prasit said farmers' views have never been taken into account when setting the price of pledged rice crops. The price was based only on impractical academic principles.

More than 300 rice farmers from Bang Ragum district of Phitsanulok today gathered in front of the province’s city hall demanding the prime minister agree to their demand for a higher price for pledged rice, and threatened a nationwide mass protest if he does not.

Manas Thapplaeng, core leader of the farmers group, submitted a letter to Mr Abhisit via the provincial governor calling on the government to agree to their demands.

"Farmers called for the payment for pledged rice to be increased from 10,000 baht a tonne to 14,000 baht, but the cabinet yesterday increased it to only 11,000 baht.

"Farmers in Bang Ragum have agreed that they will not accept the new rice price," Mr Manas said.

The new price is too low and does not cover farmers’ costs, particularly for those who borrowed money to sow and grow their crops.

Rice farmers stand firm on the demand and if the prime minister does not respond to it within seven days there will be a mass anti-government protest by farmers nationwide, he said.

Meanwhile, protesters from groups representing the poor and downtrodden in the North, Northeast, South and Bangkok have agreed to disperse and return to their home provinces following talks with Metropolitan Police Division 1 commander Wichai Sangprapai.

The various groups had gathered under the umbrella of the People's Movement for a Just Society (PMOVE).

Pol Maj-Gen Wichai said he was instructed by the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO) to negotiate with three groups of protesters and ask them to move elsewhere to make way for the Red Cross fair, which begins on March 31.

They are the protesters of PMOVE at the Royal Plaza, the Thai Patriots Network on Phitsanulok Road near Government House, and the People's Alliance for Democracy on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue.

Pol Maj-Gen Wichai said PMOVE protesters under Chamnong Jitnirat agreed to disperse and return to their home provinces this afternoon.  The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration would then start to clean up the area.

He would continue with his attempts to get protesters of the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and Thai Patriots Network (TPN) to move from their current protest sites by March 15 so that the fair organisers could start to erect booths for the exhibition.

PMOVE leader Chamnong  said members of the groups under him included farmers, planters, fishermen and homeless people from the North, Northeast, South and Bangkok. They started their rally at the Royal Plaza on Feb 16 to support demands they have made on the government.

The number of protesters had dropped from about 6,000 to 2,000.

Mr Chamnong said negotiations with the government yielded favourable results, because the cabinet on Tuesday passed a resolution in response to their demands.

Source: Bangkok Post