Amid the ongoing arguments by political parties about the claimed benefits of price pledging versus price guarantees, rice industry organisations plan to map out a permanent strategy for use by the new government as a guideline.

The Thai Farmers Association (TFA) is working with the Thai Rice Millers Association, the Thai Rice Exporters Association and the Thai Chamber of Commerce to prepare the strategy for enhancing the Thai rice trade, TFA president Prasit Boonchoey said yesterday at a forum held by the Economic Reporters Association.

The new strategy should be used as a guideline for the new government to use in protecting farmers' benefits.

"No matter which parties win the general election and form the new government, this new strategy must be followed," said Mr Prasit. "A draft will be completed before the election."

He also criticised the rice strategies being espoused by the two leading parties in the election campaign as "dream projects", particularly the promise by Pheu Thai to pay 15,000 baht a tonne for white rice paddy.

Higher pledging prices could push up retail and export prices as well as make production materials more expensive. End-consumers would eventually be hard hit, said Mr Prasit.

"These policies are just for advertising purposes to win votes. What we want is a policy that improves farmers' quality of life, addresses product price volatility and helps to promote social welfare for farmers," he said.

The Pheu Thai Party has vowed to reinstate the rice pledging scheme, promising to pay 15,000 baht a tonne for paddy if it wins.

That is 36.4% higher than the current 11,000 baht that farmers can obtain from the income guarantee programme that has been implemented for the past two years by the Democrat-led coalition.

Suphachai Chearavanont, the chief executive of True Corporation, told a separate forum held yesterday by the Bangkok Post that the new government had better think about how to store or keep rice for long periods, with joint investment by the government and private sector including existing cooperatives.

He said both the rice pledging and the rice insurance programmes still had loopholes, with no safeguards against corruption by industry players.

The government should also help those in the industry by facilitating processing, packaging and transport services, Mr Suphachai added.

Source: Bangkok Post