Thailand buys US corn for Sept-Oct delivery

Thansettakij•Economy•19h ago

Reader Briefing

Thailand has ordered corn from the United States for delivery in the fourth quarter of the year amid protests from domestic crop trade representatives.

•Thailand ordered corn from the United States for shipment in September-October and delivery in the fourth quarter of this year.
•The reference price as of July 16 was 267.43 US dollars per ton, approximately 8.99 baht per kilogram.
•Therdsak Lapjitritsakul, President of the Field Crop Trade Association, criticized the government for allowing these imports.
•Domestic farmers face challenges including factory closures, price suppression, and inconsistent GMO policies.

Overview

•Thailand ordered corn from the United States for transport in September-October and delivery in the fourth quarter of this year.
•The reference price for the corn on July 16 was 267.43 US dollars per ton, or approximately 8.99 baht per kilogram based on an exchange rate of 33.65 baht per dollar.
•Therdsak Lapjitritsakul stated that allowing imports from the United States at this time is a major mistake by the government sector.
•Therdsak Lapjitritsakul reported that several large operators stopped buying corn and closed factories in July, claiming it was low season or for renovations.
•Therdsak Lapjitritsakul noted a policy contradiction where the government prohibits Thai farmers from planting GMO corn but allows the import of GMO corn.
•Therdsak Lapjitritsakul stated that while there was a price guarantee project at 9.80 baht, farmers actually received only 9.20 baht last year.
•Therdsak Lapjitritsakul warned that imports in September-October will worsen the situation during the Thai harvest season.
•Therdsak Lapjitritsakul expressed intention to resign as President of the Field Crop Trade Association due to the government's failure to listen to the truth.

Full article content is available on the original source.

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Source: Thansettakij (Original)

Key Quotes

Therdsak Lapjitritsakul

"If we are not allowed to plant but they are allowed to import, what does that mean? The claim of shortage is just a reason to buy cheap goods without sympathy for farmers."

ถ้าไม่ให้เราปลูกแต่ให้เขานำเข้า มันหมายความว่าอย่างไร ข้ออ้างเรื่องสินค้าขาดแคลนเป็นเพียงการหาเหตุผลเพื่อจะซื้อของถูกโดยไม่เห็นใจชาวไร่

Therdsak Lapjitritsakul

"I have seen this policy for over 10 years, and it gets crueler every day until now I cannot take it; I am thinking of resigning as Association President."

ผมเห็นนโยบายแบบนี้มา 10 กว่าปี นับวันยิ่งโหดร้ายขึ้นเรื่อยๆ จนตอนนี้ผมทำใจไม่ได้แล้ว คิดว่าจะลาออกจากตำแหน่งนายกสมาคมฯ

Key Entities

Place

United States(สหรัฐอเมริกา)ℹ️

The country from which Thailand ordered corn imports.

Thailand(ประเทศไทย)ℹ️

The country that purchased corn from the United States.

Person

Therdsak Lapjitritsakul(เทอดศักดิ์ ลาภจิตรกุศล)

President of the Field Crop Trade Association.

Organization

Field Crop Trade Association(สมาคมการค้าพืชไร่)

The organization led by Therdsak Lapjitritsakul that represents field crop traders and farmers.

Thansettakij(ฐานเศรษฐกิจ)

The news outlet that received information from a source in the field crop trade industry.