The cabinet meeting on Tuesday 1, March 2007 has come to the following decisions:
The cabinet approved in principle of direct funding schemes for grassroots people and grassroots economy as proposed by the Ministry of Finance which includes the following 6 strategies:
1) guidelines to oversee and examine the capacity of the villages and communities (SML)
2) measures on fund raising and knowledge management of the village fund and urban community
3) the program to restore and to relieve small scale debt of farmers and the poor
4) the people's bank project by the Government Savings Bank
5) the project of housing loans by the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC)
6) the loan project for farmers by the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC).
Due to this project the cabinet also utilized the recommendation of the Office of the National Economics and Social Development Board and the Budget Bureau and assigned the Ministry related to this issue to improve each project together.
The cabinet approved in principle as proposed by the Ministry of Commerce to bring out the packed rice stock to be available for consumers as follows:
1. Type of rice: 5% White rice
2. Quantity: 650,000 tons
3. Sell Price: to reduce the cost of living for consumers, the price will be the cost of capital and the expenses.
4. The responsible organization: Public Warehouse Organization
5. How to distribute: to distribute all over the country by the Public Warehouse Organization) at the provincial level and provinces trade for the mid to low income population.
The Ministry of Commerce reports that there is currently a rice crisis situation world wide because of drought in rice producing countries and increased market demand for rice from Thailand. This has lead to higher rice prices since the beginning of 2008. At present the F.O.B price of Jasmine rice is 940 USD per ton, 5%White rice is 611 USD per ton and 100 % Parboiled rice is 656 USD per ton. It has increased since the beginning of the year by 34.52%, 46.17% and 18.18% accordingly. The rice price increased to it's highest in history, January 28, 2008. Jasmine rice is 14,300-15,600 baht per ton, a price increase of 63.39 per cent over the same period last year, 5% Paddy Rice from off-season paddy fields is 10,700-12,000 baht per ton, a price increase of 80.16 per cent over the same period last year. Meanwhile, second grade 100% Jasmine rice per 100 kilograms is 2,045-2,050 baht, an increase of 48.60 per cent, 5% White Rice per 100 kilograms is 1,900-1,905 an increase of 89.73 per cent and 100% Parboiled Rice per 100 kilogram is 2,045-2,050 baht, an increase of 90.51 per cent. It‘s possible that prices will continue to increase. The rice stock remains according to the record on March 19, 2008, rice in the Government Intervention Price Project is 2.1 million tons which includes in the Public Warehouse Organization for a total of 1.964 million tons, and Rice Paddy and Rice in the Rice Mill for the total of 0.145 million tons. Domestic consumption, according to the record of last year is about 11.21 millions tons. One Thai person consumes about 104 kilogram of rice per year. With a total of 63 million people in Thailand this is a total rice consumption of 6.55 tons per year. The price of 5% White rice for a five kg package in Bangkok is 76-88 baht. The price last year was 65-70 baht per package. The price will likely increase again.
The cabinet approved Thailand to ratify the international convention related to the rights of disabled people as proposed by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.
The cabinet assigned the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense and other related units to prepare before the ratification. This convention will be beneficial to disabled people and focuses on discrimination against disabled people in the laws sector, administration sector and other areas and also promotes, quality of life for disabled people relating to environment, transportation, access to news and public services and promotes equality in education opportunity, work, health care and equal political participation.
--Cabinet Meeting (Samak Sundaravej) April 1, 2008--
The cabinet approved in principle of direct funding schemes for grassroots people and grassroots economy as proposed by the Ministry of Finance which includes the following 6 strategies:
1) guidelines to oversee and examine the capacity of the villages and communities (SML)
2) measures on fund raising and knowledge management of the village fund and urban community
3) the program to restore and to relieve small scale debt of farmers and the poor
4) the people's bank project by the Government Savings Bank
5) the project of housing loans by the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC)
6) the loan project for farmers by the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC).
Due to this project the cabinet also utilized the recommendation of the Office of the National Economics and Social Development Board and the Budget Bureau and assigned the Ministry related to this issue to improve each project together.
The cabinet approved in principle as proposed by the Ministry of Commerce to bring out the packed rice stock to be available for consumers as follows:
1. Type of rice: 5% White rice
2. Quantity: 650,000 tons
3. Sell Price: to reduce the cost of living for consumers, the price will be the cost of capital and the expenses.
4. The responsible organization: Public Warehouse Organization
5. How to distribute: to distribute all over the country by the Public Warehouse Organization) at the provincial level and provinces trade for the mid to low income population.
The Ministry of Commerce reports that there is currently a rice crisis situation world wide because of drought in rice producing countries and increased market demand for rice from Thailand. This has lead to higher rice prices since the beginning of 2008. At present the F.O.B price of Jasmine rice is 940 USD per ton, 5%White rice is 611 USD per ton and 100 % Parboiled rice is 656 USD per ton. It has increased since the beginning of the year by 34.52%, 46.17% and 18.18% accordingly. The rice price increased to it's highest in history, January 28, 2008. Jasmine rice is 14,300-15,600 baht per ton, a price increase of 63.39 per cent over the same period last year, 5% Paddy Rice from off-season paddy fields is 10,700-12,000 baht per ton, a price increase of 80.16 per cent over the same period last year. Meanwhile, second grade 100% Jasmine rice per 100 kilograms is 2,045-2,050 baht, an increase of 48.60 per cent, 5% White Rice per 100 kilograms is 1,900-1,905 an increase of 89.73 per cent and 100% Parboiled Rice per 100 kilogram is 2,045-2,050 baht, an increase of 90.51 per cent. It‘s possible that prices will continue to increase. The rice stock remains according to the record on March 19, 2008, rice in the Government Intervention Price Project is 2.1 million tons which includes in the Public Warehouse Organization for a total of 1.964 million tons, and Rice Paddy and Rice in the Rice Mill for the total of 0.145 million tons. Domestic consumption, according to the record of last year is about 11.21 millions tons. One Thai person consumes about 104 kilogram of rice per year. With a total of 63 million people in Thailand this is a total rice consumption of 6.55 tons per year. The price of 5% White rice for a five kg package in Bangkok is 76-88 baht. The price last year was 65-70 baht per package. The price will likely increase again.
The cabinet approved Thailand to ratify the international convention related to the rights of disabled people as proposed by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.
The cabinet assigned the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense and other related units to prepare before the ratification. This convention will be beneficial to disabled people and focuses on discrimination against disabled people in the laws sector, administration sector and other areas and also promotes, quality of life for disabled people relating to environment, transportation, access to news and public services and promotes equality in education opportunity, work, health care and equal political participation.
--Cabinet Meeting (Samak Sundaravej) April 1, 2008--