Phichit: Residents have complained that a fertiliser company deceived them by offering fertilisers as "free trial products" that left them in debt to the company.
Farmers in tambon Kamphaeng Din in Sam Ngam district said they had been served with court notices ordering them to pay for fertilisers that were thought to have been given for free.
Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Prajin Juntong on Friday met about 100 residents to hear their complaints.
Farmer Manit Ruamphet said that in 2014 a sales representative from a fertiliser company told the village chief that the company would give free fertilisers to rice farms in the area, attracting a great deal of interest from farmers.
The sales agent asked to have the residents' land title deeds and household registration documents photocopied. Residents also signed their names on photocopies of the documents as well as on some blank sheets of paper before the fertilisers were delivered to them.
Ms Manit said the fertilisers were later found to be of inferior quality. The fertilisers were used in the fields but they produced fewer crop yields than other brands previously used by local farmers.
Shortly after that, Ms Manit said she had been served with a court notice telling her to pay for fertilisers given to her. The notice said she would be sued if she failed to pay, Ms Manit said, adding that other fertiliser recipients were also shocked when they were issued with similar court notices.
They thought the fertilisers were given as free trial offers but ended up costing them money, she said.
Several other residents facing the same fate have appealed for help from the government and the Justice Ministry had sent officials to help negotiate.
Ms Manit was told negotiation with the company could reduce the debt she owed from 20,000 baht to 5,040 baht, she said.
Malee Klansuk, another resident, said she was ordered to pay 60,000 baht for overdue fertiliser bills. She felt she had no choice but to seek help from the Justice Ministry.
Like several other families, she had to borrow money to pay off the debt, Ms Malee added.
ACM Prajin said he has instructed officials to expedite efforts to help affected residents and look into whether any documents had been forged to deceive or unfairly take advantage of the residents.
Authorities are gathering evidence before deciding whether to pursue legal action against anyone involved in deceiving people, he said.