CHANTHABURI, 4 March 2016 (NNT) - The Ministry of Commerce requires fruit farmers and middlemen in Chanthaburi to register with it in an effort to prevent foreign merchants from breaking purchasing contracts.

Deputy Minister of Commerce Suwit Mesinsee said Chanthaburi province was trying to regulate its longan trade. There were currently 54 longan traders in the province, 29 of them were Thai and the rest Chinese. Since the Chinese traders first came to Chanthaburi in 2006, the price of longan increased from 18-22 baht/kilo to 40 baht/kilo due to growing demand, said the deputy governor.

Some of the foreign fruit traders had abandoned their deposits and refused to pay the farmers, Mr.Suwit said. The ministry therefore required all longan farmers, entrepreneurs and middlemen to register with it. The farmers would also receive legal assistance, including contract drafting, from relevant government units, Mr.Suwit added.

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