Sugar-cane planters have urged the Industry Ministry to seek a solution to the shortage of cane-crushing facilities in Sa Kaeo.
Sugar-cane planters have urged the Industry Ministry to seek a solution to the shortage of cane-crushing facilities in Sa Kaeo province.
Montri Kampon, president of the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters, said there was just one crushing plant that could only accommodate a total of 800,000 tonnes per year out of the province's total annual output of 2.6 million tonnes.
Industry Minister Chakramon Phasukvanich has asked them to wait six months to gather information before finalising a project proposal. Once it is finalised, the ministry will seek cabinet approval in drafting a new law.
According to the Sugar and Cane Act, crushing plants must be located at least 80 kilometres from each other.
"They really need more capacity for sugar-cane crushing. It does not make sense that they have to wait the whole night in a long queue in order to get their fresh cane processed," said Mr Chakramon.
"If we want to solve this problem, we need to ask for cabinet approval to revoke this outdated law, and after that we have to draft a new one that suits the current situation of the industry," he said.
The sugar-cane industry has one of the most complicated structures set by the government, which has been in use for the past three decades.
The law has been designed to ensure fairness among sugar millers, exporters and planters as well as consumers by controlling retail prices and fixing quotas for export each year.
Mr Montri said the shortage of crushing facilities in the area was quite critical, and the government must address it urgently.
"Planters want the government to do anything to build the new crushing plant in Sa Kaeo," Mr Montri said, adding that planters currently had to send sugar cane to a crushing plant in Chon Buri, raising logistics costs.
He said planters remained unsure when the problem would be addressed.
"Mr Chakramon agrees with us but also said it would take time since it needed cabinet approval. We can't wait that long, so we hope to see even a little progress soon," Mr Montri said.