Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom has revealed that his ministry is gearing up to clarify the rice pledging scheme to the public while expressing his confidence that this year’s rice exports will meet the target of 8.5 million tons.

Mr Boonsong said the ministry had begun gathering and summarizing information on the rice pledging program. Some solid conclusions are expected to be made by the ministry this Friday before being reported to the prime minister and the public for acknowledgement.

According to Mr Boonsong, since the inception of the rice pledging scheme in 2003, there have been only three out of the total of 17 projects under the scheme that are overseen by the Yingluck government. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Commerce are now working together to make sure that their information on the scheme matches.

For the 2012/2013 crop year, 14.3 million tons of rice has entered the program in the first round. 4.08 tons of rice from the target of seven tons has been received by the government in the second round. Mr Boonsong insisted that the export of rice this year would certainly meet the 8.5-million-ton target, if not higher.

Source: National News Bureau & Public Relations