Government misses the point with rice policy

What has the rice mortgage system reintroduced by the Yingluck government led to?

Wichit Chantanusornsiri, economics reporter, writes in Bangkok Post: export collapse; huge costs for the government; hardly any income improvement for the farmers because the higher price for their rice is spent on higher costs for fuel, fertilizer and food; the use of contract workers instead of multi-year leases and 'most dangerously perhaps' the fact that farmers value quantity over quality. Attempts to improve rice varieties or introduce organic farming methods are undermined as a result.

Wichit – others have said this before – argues for quality improvement. For the development of new rice varieties and new processing methods that better meet the wishes of consumers who want a healthy product. As an example he mentions rice berry [?], a purple unshelled cross of hom nin rice and khao dawk mali 105 rice. This rice, developed by Kasetsart University, owes its popularity to the high content of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. And there are many more possibilities, such as rice-based snacks or even using rice powder as baby powder.

Unfortunately, Wichit notes, the government seems to place more value on manipulating and driving up the price of rice than on prudent policies to improve quality and value. But yes, '15.000 baht per ton' naturally sounds more sexy than retraining programs, irrigation improvements and sustainable production methods.

www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post