By TV Channel 7 and Thai Newsroom
FARMERS who have grown rice their entire lives on their own land are preparing for a new life after the recent drop in rice prices as the government moves to encourage them to switch to other crops by establishing pilot planting zones covering 1 million rai.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives will be submitting guidelines on this project to the National Rice Policy and Management Committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul for consideration today (Nov. 18).
Under this scheme the authorities will assess areas deemed unsuitable for rice farming and encourage farmers to shift from rice cultivation to alternative crops such as corn and legumes.
This initiative aims to address the problem of low rice prices in a sustainable manner.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO ) All Rice Price Index fell by 2.5 percent in October, driven by intensified competition for markets and the start of main-crop harvests in several northern hemisphere exporting countries.
World food commodity prices generally declined in October, driven largely by ample global supplies, according to FAO’s benchmark measure .
The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a set of globally-traded food commodities, averaged 126.4 points in October, down 1.6 percent from its revised September level.
CAPTION:
A Thai rice farmer, above, and a paddy field, Front Page. Photos – Thai Rath
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