As the nationwide rice stock inspection was 72% complete, the rice audit committee found 10% of the stock had problems, mainly deteriorating quality or record discrepancies, according to the chairman of the Rice Policy and Management Committee.
A workers carries a damaged sack of rice which turned the grain into powder at a warehouse in Maha Sarakham province on July 22, 2014. (Photo by PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD)
Gen Chatchai Sarikallaya, also deputy chief of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), said of all 1,787 warehouses registered under the rice-pledging programme, 1,290, or 72%, had been audited as of Monday.
Eighty percent of the rice was found to be of good quality and match the records. Only 10% was inconsistent with the papers and rotten, which would be inspected further.
"There's no need to speed up selling the rice now. We should go along with market mechanisms and avoid affecting prices," Gen Chatchai said.
"In the future, we won't resort to either pledging or price guarantee to help farmers. Instead, we encourage them to grow quality or localised rice, and other substitute crops," he said.