A deputy commerce minister has confirmed that farmers can start pledging rice contracts from millers to receive financial help in two weeks.
Millers are ready to join the project in two weeks, says Mr Yanyong (centre).
The government is seeking loans to meet the months-overdue payments for pledged rice but due to political problems, this is not easy, Yanyong Phuangrach told farmers from 40 provinces who attended a meeting in Ayutthaya province on Saturday.
To ease farmers' troubles, the government has asked millers to advance 50% of the pledging contract amounts to affected farmers and the government would subsidise the interest, he said.
However, the farmers questioned the ability of millers to do so, given the amounts owed. The caretaker government owes an estimated 120 billion baht for rice pledged by as many as 1 million farmers.
They want to use their contracts as collateral so they can find their own loan sources, a request Mr Yanyong agreed to pass on to the government.
Meanwhile, some northeastern farmers said they would join the protests if they are not paid by Feb 13.