The Commerce Ministry will open bidding for more than 350,000 tonnes of rice on July 26 under the government's plan to accelerate the release of its stockpiles.

Of this amount, 152,836 million tonnes of 5-per-cent white rice is set for export, and 200,762 tonnes of WBR A1 Super rice will be sold for both exporters and domestic traders.

The ministry will also open bidding for 200,000 tonnes of paddy for parboiled-rice export in the next couple of days.

Commerce Minister Niwatthumrong Boonsongpaisan said his ministry would open bidding for general traders. The bidding will be fully transparent, he promised.

He said the ministry already had sale prices in mind. If bids are judged too low, it could cancel the sale.

The ministry has targeted selling 500,000 to 1 million tonnes of milled rice and 400,000 tonnes of paddy rice per month.

Meanwhile, the Thai Rice Packers Association urged social-media users to refrain from spreading unfounded rumours. The publication of misinformation online is considered a violation of the 2007 Computer Crime Act.

The association issued the warning after a television presenter posted a comment on his Facebook page alleging the mixing of substandard varieties in rice packs had damaged the image of Thai rice. The post also mentioned particular companies, risking a lawsuit.

Somkiat Makcayathorn, president of the association, said traders wanted such unfounded rumours to stop circulating. Such information should be probed and verified before publication.

He urged the media to help advise consumers that producers are obligated to maintain the quality of packed rice before distribution to the public. Because of such procedures, Thai rice has the best quality, he insisted.

Television host Suttipong Thamawuit had his representative express an apology for the accusations about the quality of packed rice. The association says it will therefore not proceed with legal action against Suttipong at this time.

Sumeth Laomoraporn, chief executive of CP Intertrade Co, declined to comment on the incident, but said the firm's lawyers were looking into it. Bussara Chankaewmanee, a specialist in product standards for the Department of Agriculture, denied the accusation of the use of dangerous chemicals. The best way to quash such unfounded rumours was to spread the correct information widely, she said.

After discussing the matter with Suttipong, Deputy Commerce Minister Yanyong Phuangrach said he found that the TV host had no intention of damaging the image of Thai rice with his post. The ministry has called on Suttipong and his companies TV Burapa and JSL to draw up plans to rebuild the product's image.

Suttipong said that he would discuss such a plan with relevant people. He has also met with some millers and companies to apologise.

Source: The Nation