The government's plan to sell old rice that has been kept in warehouses in northeastern Thailand for a decade has stunned the public, with fears growing over the potentially adverse impact on people's health and also the domestic rice market if traders export it.
Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai insisted the rice, which was part of the controversial rice-pledging scheme initiated by the former Yingluck Shinawatra administration, is "still good" to eat.
On May 7, he, together with a group of senior officials, ate some in front of media cameras in a bid to convince people of its safety. The rice he ate had been washed at least 15 times, compared to twice in the case of normal rice.
The rice in question was taken from two warehouses in Surin province in March. Altogether, around 150,000 sacks weighing over 14,000 tonnes were stored there.
The commerce minister said the rice had been carefully preserved and was frequently fumigated. He said he hoped to raise about 200-400 million baht from the bidding.
At the same time, there are unconfirmed reports that the army may have to buy rice from the pledging scheme for conscripts.
Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang refused to rule out these reports but insists the rice must be examined thoroughly to ensure it's safe to eat. He also mulled the idea of sending the rice to China as the country has pledged to buy farm commodities in exchange for a submarine purchase.
Experts and activists, however, have challenged Mr Phumtham and warned of the potential impact on health from old rice that may contain toxins and contamination from fumigants.
They said rice can normally be kept for up to three years, but it must be vacuum-sealed against humidity, which appears not to be the case for the warehouse Mr Phumtham visited.
Those who disagree with selling the decade-old rice cite a study by a Japanese researcher which showed that traces of a fumigant like methyl bromide could still be present in the rice in the form of bromide ion after it has been washed several times, meaning it would still be hazardous to people's health.
Those eating contaminated rice are at risk of getting cancer, they claim.
Some academics have urged the government to dump its rice sale plan to protect the public's health. After 10 years in a warehouse, the rice is also not considered safe to serve as animal feed. Instead, they say, it should be used to produce alcohol.
As the debate rages on, retail traders have noticed old rice mixed with new rice in certain products.
The rice sale plan could also be a political ploy to help secure Yingluck's return by showing that rice from the scheme is safe and can raise money, critics argue.
Yingluck was handed a five-year jail term for not stopping widespread fraud during the contentious rice-pledging scheme. She fled the country in 2014 to escape punishment.
The government should also quell the public's thirst to know how much rice remains and where it is stored, and have it examined by neutral third parties.
The income from bidding, up to 200-400 million baht, is not worth the health risk.
And the mere possibility this could ruin the reputation of Thai rice as a premium export item should be enough to axe this ill-fated scheme.
