Kasetsart University is offering financial assistance to students of rice farming families suffering as a result of payment delays under the government’s rice-pledging scheme.
The offer was posted on the university’s website and invites students to register for assistance using copies of rice sales documents issued by officials.
Vudtechai Kapilakanchana, president of Kasetsart University, said the assistance programme had been launched because more than 7,000 Kasetsart students come from farming families. A large number of them have been affected by delays to rice payments, he said.
Under the programme, each student entitled to assistance will be given 3,000 baht in cash to ease their financial hardship. They will not be expected to repay the university for the money.
“This is a temporary measure to help our students. We understand the difficulties they face. We are also thinking about offering them scholarships or part-time jobs,” he said.
About 350 students have applied to join the financial assistance programme, which is available at the university’s four campuses in Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Chon Buri and Sakon Nakhon.
Mr Vudtechai said most of the students had already borrowed money from the government’s student loans programme, but officials are considering cutting funding for the scheme, so the burden of helping support students will be shifted to the university.
Kantika Jittima, 21, who is studying at Kasetsart’s Faculty of Science, said her family in Chaiyaphum had received partial payments for paddy sold into the rice-pledging scheme, but most of that money had been spent on repaying bank loans.
Her mother had to borrow money to support her education, forcing the family into a cycle of debt, she said.
“The rice-pledging project was good. We had better prices for rice. But now the government can’t pay us the full amount it owes us and the current price of rice
has dropped to 7,000 baht per tonne.
This has made our family feel insecure,’’ she said.
Nisakorn Polkasem, 20, a student at the Faculty of Fisheries, said her father is struggling to find money to support her education because of overdue rice payments.
The Kamphaeng Phet farmer told his daughter he would do his best to find money to send to her.
In the meantime, she is trying to limit her expenses, by spending about 150 baht per day. If she spends more one day, she knows she must spend less the next, Ms Nisakorn said.
Supawadee Kasem, 20, a student at the Faculty of Education, said her family has been working harder than before to cope with their financial troubles.
Despite being under constant stress, members of the Uthai Thani family are trying to encourage one another to overcome the crisis.
Natasit Palim, 20, another student from the same faculty, said his family in Si Sa Ket was suffering like other farmers around the country.
The price of rice has crashed, but fuel, pesticides and fertiliser remain expensive, he said, urging government to help control rice production costs to enable farmers to make ends meet.