The respected Thai Rice Exporters Association has recently issued an appeal to the country’s new government. Their plea is simple yet crucially important: to abstain from intervening with rice market prices. Instead, the association strongly recommends the strategic development and production of innovative rice strains. Such a move is seen as vital to keeping pace with other nations in the highly competitive world of rice exporting.
Chookiat Ophaswongse, the association’s esteemed honorary president, stressed the importance of rice strain development for the future of Thai rice. He shared his insights based on various discussions held in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. According to him, these countries share concerns about rice prices and the key to address these lies in reducing production costs for farmers, increasing yield, and introducing new soft-textured rice varieties that meet market demands.
“Other exporting nations have significantly advanced their research and development capabilities, leading to the creation of rice strains that can compete with Thai rice,” Chookiat noted. He further emphasized the role of the government in aiding the development of essential irrigation systems, like reservoirs and canals. Failing to do so could potentially lead to a decrease in Thai rice exports.
The honorary president relayed concerns expressed by Malaysian wholesalers during a recent meeting. They were worried that Thai hom mali rice rapidly loses its fragrance after the initial season. On the contrary, Vietnam has managed to produce fragrant rice up to three times within a span of three months, thereby maintaining a stable supply of aromatic rice. Hence, Chookiat argued for the need to focus on crafting faster-growing Thai rice strains.
Chookiat was adamant in recommending against government interference in the market prices. He stated, “Such an action could seriously disrupt the market dynamics. If financial assistance to farmers becomes necessary, it should be channeled towards reducing harvest costs or developing new rice strains with shorter cultivation periods, preferably within 100 days.”
Nipon Puapongsakorn, a leading fellow at the Thailand Development Research Institute, concurred with Chookiat’s stance on market price intervention. He suggested that support policies should aim to keep Thai rice prices reasonable while focusing on environmentally sustainable farming practices. Nipon stated, “A price guarantee scheme is okay, but it should come with certain conditions. We should incentivize farmers to adopt practices that respect the environment, such as alternate wet and dry methods due to water shortages, regenerative agricultural techniques, and the utilization of new technology.”
Nipon further proposed a challenge to the new government. He advises them to re-evaluate current policies and aim to triple the income of Thai rice farmers within three years. He warns, however, that this may not be an easy task. “Quickly adopting new technologies, especially among small-scale farmers, remains a challenge. Increasing yield to 1,000 kg per rai is difficult. In areas with a yield of 800 kg per rai, it’s difficult for farmers to ramp it up to 1,600 kg per rai due to a lack of familiarity with new technologies,” he cautioned.
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