Down to last few grains of rice

Down to last few grains of rice

The five-month wait for payment is pushing farmers to the edge

Several farmers in tambon Phai Phra of Ayutthaya's Bang Sai district have been left in despair by the government's delayed payment for rice crops under the pledging scheme.

Farmers at work in a paddy field in tambon Phai Phra of Ayutthaya’s Bang Sai district yesterday. Many are waiting for payments from the government. PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD

"The government has already postponed the payment three times, and did it again on Wednesday for the fourth time," said Thassanee Janbamrung, a 52-year-old farmer.

Ms Thassanee was one of tens of thousands of paddy farmers nationwide still waiting for payment for their pledged rice, despite their produce having been pledged over five months ago.

"We are close to starving," said Ms Thassanee, adding that officials at the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) had told her the government had stopped supplying money for the payment.

The government made the full payment on time at the beginning, but then they became late, and then stopped altogether, she said.

Wandee Bualek, a 25-year-old farmer in the same tambon, still holds out hope the government will eventually pay her the money, despite the near six-month delay.

"We farmers have never deceived anyone, so why does the government lie to farmers?" Ms Wandee said.

Both farmers owed money to the government, for farming equipment, including rice varieties and fertiliser, through the farmer credit card scheme, which offers a credit line of 50,000 baht each.

Ms Wandee conceded she now has to rely on loan sharks to sustain her.

"I need to borrow tens of thousands of baht from a loan shark with a 3% interest rate to survive and to hire workers for my paddy field for the new crop season," she said. The cost of rice farming is steep. Hired workers are paid 300 baht a day, while the leasing of paddy fields costs 2,000-3,000 baht per rai, she added. She said the government still owed her about 300,000 baht.

Ms Wandee, who has two young children, and her husband now have to work extra jobs to secure at least a 3,000-baht monthly income for her family.

She also had to borrow almost 100,000 baht from loan sharks and relatives for rice farming during the new crop season.

"I am now desperate to obtain this money since the BAAC said it has no money to pay," said Ms Wandee.

"Will the government really deny us what it owes?"

Many local farmers said BAAC officials told them their names had been missed off the pledging scheme registration, so they were not entitled to the payment.

Samran Traisuwan, a 62-year-old farmer, raised doubts about whether the government was really sincere regarding the rice scheme.

He lashed out at the government which promised during the election campaign to receive every grain of rice pledged by farmers, saying: "It turns out to be only 62 barrels per rai that can be pledged in reality, so how can they say it is every grain?"

Under the scheme, Mr Samran said he receives no more than 13,000 baht per tonne for his pledged rice, following the deduction of moisture content and other contaminants, despite the scheme promising farmers they would receive 15,000 baht.

Farmers have to pledge their rice under the scheme or they would only get paid 5,000-6,000 baht if they sell to traders, he said.

He declined to comment about irregularities in the scheme, saying the farmers did not want problems with anyone.

Another farmer, Chao Trai-uphok, was also unwilling to discuss irregularities.

Mr Chao said if farmers do not receive a satisfactory answer about the payment on Monday, when the National Rice Policy Committee is due to convene, farmers' patience will run out and it is likely that a nationwide protest will erupt.

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