FARMERS URGE RAOT TO PAY HEED

>> Rubber planters in the South are calling on the acting governor of the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT) to pay heed to their suggestions concerning rubber prices.

Boonsong Napthong, chairman of the Krabi rubber farmers association, said members are upbeat following the appointment of Thanawat Ponvichai as acting governor and they expect the newcomer to keep an open mind.

He said input from board members representing the private sector was not enough for Mr Thanawat to make well-informed decisions and help farmers.

Mr Thanawat was appointed acting governor last week after the National Council for Peace and Order removed Tiratch Suksaard as RAOT governor and transferred him to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Rubber farmers were upset with Mr Tiratch’s policy and demanded that he and the board step down.

According to Mr Boonsong, the acting governor should consider putting into practice three policy guidelines of Agriculture Minister Grisada Boonrach to address rubber price problems.

The guidelines involve the zoning of rubber plantations, compensation for farmers who suspend rubber tapping for three months, and a fertiliser subsidy programme.

However, he said it would be necessary for the RAOT to lobby authorities in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam to adopt the zoning system for effectiveness.

The drop in rubber prices was attributed to the growth of rubber plantations in neighbouring in the past 10 years.

On compensation for suspending rubber tapping, Mr Boonsong said the measure should be implemented on a voluntary basis only. The measure is expected to lower the supply in the market and thus shore up the price.