Thread: Rice farmers urged to sell directly to consumers

ACADEMICS have proposed that farmers employ relatives sell to rice to friends to remove middlemen and help to tackle falling prices.

Since the price of paddy had dropped to just Bt5 per kilogram, and was expected to drop further once the harvest season ends in November, Kasetsart University economics lecturer Decharut Sukkumnoed said farmers’ families should help to bring rice directly to consumers.

“The main reason for the low price is that the market is monopolised. As we can see, the price of paddy is dropping but the price of polished rice is still high. Therefore, in order to address this problem, we have to let the producers and consumers meet each other through farmers’ children,” Decharut said.

more Rice farmers urged to sell directly to consumers

This is where beneficial and strong farm collectives or unified cooperative-type associations come in to play, where each organisation elect/choose "representatives" amongst themselves respectively to act as go betweens and contactors for their coveted product....

Removing hints of government and agriculture mafia middlemen from the equation can be a start.

The ideals of a true open and free market can work if allowed to grow and expand.