Many government and opposition MPs have strongly objected to a cabinet-approved fertiliser subsidy programme costing 30 billion baht and intended to help 4.68 million rice farmers, saying it must be revised.
The issue was raised by Korrawee Prissananantakul, a Bhumjaithai MP for Ang Thong, at a House meeting on Thursday. Bhumjaithai is the second-largest party in the coalition led by the Pheu Thai Party, but members of the latter have also criticised the plan, along with the opposition Democrat party,
Mr Korrawee said that even though the fertiliser subsidy programme is intended to help cut farmers’ costs, most farmers in Ang Thong, a key rice-growing province in the Central Plains, disapprove of the co-pay requirement.
There are hidden difficulties and disadvantages, he added.
“These farmers have asked me to tell the government to have this programme revised,” he said. “And if possible, they would be happy to see the previous subsidy programme, which offered them 1,000 baht per rai, brought back.”
Under the planned subsidy programme, farmers would receive at most 500 baht of subsidies per rai, or up to 10,000 baht per household, he said.
However, farmers would be required to pay half the costs of their fertiliser upfront, he said.
“If the government really means well, it should terminate this co-payment scheme and continue with the 1,000 baht per-rai scheme,” he said.
Thinnaphon Sitharet, a Pheu Thai MP for Kalasin, said many farmers in his province were worried because they do not have the money to pay fertiliser sellers upfront.
Kalasin farmers are also urging the government to stick to the previous subsidy programmed, in which they were paid 1,000 baht per rai — a full amount — to be used to buy fertilisers, he said.
“Farmers [in Kalasin](#) want me to relay to the agriculture minister their call for the revision of the new subsidy programme,” he said.
Sanong Thep-aksonnarong, a Bhumjaithai MP for Buri Ram, said the programme would prompt many farmers to take out loans and thus incur more debt as they must first find the cash to pay for fertiliser.
Winai Phattharaprasit, a Bhumjaithai MP for Phichit, said he had received a written complaint from a group of rice farmers in Wang Sai Phun district.
The group is also calling for the return of the previous 1,000 baht per-rai subsidy programme, he said.
The new programme is also prone to corruption as it will involve a middleman who will be handling transactions, unlike in the previous programme in which money was transferred directly to farmers, said Saksit Khaothong, a Democrat MP for Songkhla.
Agriculture Minister Thamanat Prompow has assigned the permanent secretary for the ministry to speed up discussions with other officials to decide on the fate of the scheme.
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