A committee vetting the controversial rice bill has delayed tabling the draft law for its second and third readings following heavy criticism, according to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA).
NLA whip Somchai Sawaengkarn said Wednesday the panel withdrew the bill from the NLA's meeting agenda for Thursday so it can be studied further before it is tabled for debate next Tuesday.
He said the committee is concerned about harsh criticism from rice farmers and activists and it has agreed to go through the draft once again and address controversial issues, including the exchange and sale of seeds and indigenous rice varieties.
He insisted that opinions from farmers and academics will be taken into consideration as the committee works to improve the bill.
Gen Marut Patchotasing, chair of the committee vetting the bill, said farmers will not be fined or jailed under the proposed law, which includes clauses that would spare them from certain requirements.
"There is a little more work to do with the bill just to be careful. The committee wants more discussions," he said.
Earlier Wednesday, critics of the rice bill submitted an open letter to NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai asking the assembly to suspend its scrutiny of the bill.
Thasanee Weerakan, a key member of Alternative Agriculture Network, said the group was concerned about Section 6 of the bill which deals with the rice board, noting the structure of the board is imbalanced. She said under the proposed structure, there are only four farmer representatives, compared with 14 who represent state agencies. This would put rice farmers at a disadvantage during a vote.
According to Ms Thasanee, other issues need to be reviewed such as Section 21 which calls for the zoning of rice farming and Section 27/2 which seems to promote rice varieties only endorsed by the Rice Department.