New rice plan aims to cut rice production to 25 million tonnes this crop year
This is mind boggling the govt are capping the production of rice though encouraging farmers to plant more with their programmes of reducing costs.:confused:
Rice no doubt is going to hit the floor this year.
About 25 million tonnes of rice will be produced during 2016-17 crop years instead of the normal production output of between 31-32 million tonnes to correspond with anticipated consumption demand.
Commerce permanent secretary Chutima Boonyaprapat said Thursday that the private and farming sectors had been invited to join the government sector in working out an integrated rice production and market plan for the 2016-17 croup years.
The plan is divided into short-term or six-month, medium-term or 12-month and long-term or 18-month programmes.
Ms Chutima said it was agreed by the three parties that the yield for the 2016-17 croup years would be capped at 25 million tonnes instead of 31-32 million tonnes as the government wanted to reduce rice-farming areas due to drought and also to correspond with market demand. The plan is expected to be completed within a month, she added.
Regarding production, Ms Chutima said the Commerce Ministry would see to it that production costs are to reduce such as the costs of fertilizer, pesticides and harvesting as well as upgrading the standard of rice mills.
As for domestic marketing, the ministry will try to secure more rice markets and to ensure fairness in rice trading which may include inspection of rice weighing and humidity measurement, price tagging and setting the standard of rice trade.
The Agriculture Ministry has been tasked with rice cultivation zoning to set different zones for different types of rice and water management as well as choosing the right rice types for different zones.
http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/new...this-crop-year
