The Bangkok Post
B127bn earmarked for rice scheme
The government’s scheme to delay releasing 10 million tonnes of new rice supply to the market, aimed at propping up sinking prices, will use a combined 127 billion baht in loans and subsidies, says the chief of the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives. Of ...
Young farmers turn to social media to stimulate growth
The rice price crisis may be a pressing problem for most rice growers, but not for a group of young farmers who know how to exploit sales through social media. For Pongpat Sukarbjai, the key to selling crops is in reducing the use of pesticides and ...
Tobacco law loophole under review
The Excise Department may ask the government to allow the legal import of electronic cigarettes and baraku, which would be taxed like cigarettes, says director-general Somchai Poolsavasdi. He said the department has noticed a loophole in the current tobacco law, which does not define these products ...
Rice farmers despair amid low prices
Kneeling and sobbing before a top commerce ministry official, a Phichit farmer appealed to the government on October 30 to help growers suffering from the fall in rice prices to 5,000 baht a tonne, the lowest level in decades. Sanit Kaho, a 63-year-old farmer, held the legs ...
Cabinet approves budget worth B17.5bn for Village Funds
The cabinet on October 25 approved a 17.5-billion-baht budget for 74,655 Village Funds across the country at 250,000 baht each for local development. The move is a fresh bid to boost the rural economy, prevent people from borrowing from loan sharks and maintain the country’s ...
Rice harvest prompts wary sales
The government will pause its efforts to dispose of state rice stocks to curb any adverse impact on domestic rice prices as the latest harvest enters the market. According to Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, with the annual rice harvest season beginning ...
Airports nationwide see volume growth
Passenger traffic through Thailand’s six major airports continues to show robust growth, leaping 12.3% to almost 112 million in the fiscal year to September. The figures reflect the country’s vibrant aviation industry, fuelled by flourishing tourism, growing economic activity and Thailand’s importance as an air ...
TFF to fund western expressway project
An expressway linking Rama III Road, Dao Kanong and the western outer ring road, will be the first project financed by the Thailand Future Fund, Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak says. The cabinet in December approved the launch of TFF to raise liquidity from the ...
FDI sluggish as investor mood dims
Foreign direct investment for the whole of 2016 is expected to grow by just 2.7%, indicating that confidence in the Thai economy remains fragile, says Vallop Vitanakorn, vice-chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries. He said the likely FDI growth of 2.7% is low when ...
Amendments to agricultural land ownership approved
The cabinet on October 18 approved amendments to the Agricultural Land Reform Act, which has been in force for 40 years, in a move to narrow land ownership disparity and maintain existing land for agriculture. Key amendments include permitting heirs who do not want to ...
