The Foreign Ministry will meet with diplomats from African countries to address concerns following reports that Thailand plans to sell 15,000 tonnes of 10-year-old rice to their countries.

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the planned auctioning of the old rice has become controversial because government critics raised suspicions about quality and safety despite lab tests confirming the rice is safe to eat.

He said he is aware of concerns being raised by the African envoys in Thailand, and the Foreign Ministry is preparing to meet them to answer their questions.

African diplomats' concerns about the controversial rice were reported by www.isranews.org, which quoted a report from the Kenya-based Nation news website.

According to the Isra news centre, African diplomats in Bangkok shared their concerns with the Foreign Ministry and demanded authorities explain the plan to sell the 10-year-old rice to Africa rather than at home.

The African diplomats' concerns come as the Public Warehouse Organisation (PWO) is preparing to auction off the old rice stocks.

According to the PWO, 15,000 tonnes of rice will be auctioned off from two warehouses. The rice is from the Yingluck Shinawatra administration's controversial rice-pledging scheme

Potential bidders in the rice auction can inspect the rice at the warehouses from May 31 to June 7. The auction will be held on June 17.