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Trang Shrimp Farmers to Meet Fisheries Chief Over Price Collapse

Trang Shrimp Farmers to Meet Fisheries Chief Over Price Collapse

Matichon•Society•1h ago

Reader Briefing

Trang shrimp farmers are facing severe price drops and a lack of buyers, prompting them to seek urgent government intervention and criticize the current agriculture minister for neglecting their plight.

  • •Shrimp farmers in Trang province are experiencing a significant price slump and a lack of demand for their produce, impacting their livelihoods.
  • •Malaysia's ban on five types of shrimp imports from Thailand, effective June 1, has critically affected southern provinces, particularly Trang, Satun, and Songkhla, which rely heavily on exports to Malaysia.
  • •Farmer networks are planning to meet the Director-General of Fisheries on June 4 to submit a proposal for short-term relief, including a domestic consumption promotion and a 20-baht per kilogram subsidy.
  • •Farmers are expressing dissatisfaction with the current Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, alleging a lack of accessibility and concern for southern farmers compared to a previous minister.

Overview

  • •On June 3, a Trang reporter received information about shrimp farmers facing a price collapse.
  • •Shrimp farmers in Trang have been experiencing heavy losses, with no buyers for their shrimp for approximately two months.
  • •Malaysia's import ban on five types of shrimp from Thailand, effective June 1, severely impacts shrimp farmers in southern Thailand, including Trang, Satun, and Songkhla.
  • •The market for shrimp in southern Thailand primarily relies on exports to Malaysia, which accounts for about 8,000 tons annually, valued at approximately 2,000 million baht.
  • •Shrimp priced at 50 pieces/kilogram has dropped to 130 baht/kilogram, down from 150 baht/kilogram last year, which farmers state is below production cost.
  • •Representatives of the shrimp farmer network are scheduled to meet the Director-General of Fisheries on June 4 to submit a petition to the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives.
  • •Farmer representatives submitted a letter to the Prime Minister on May 31.
  • •Thailand's global shrimp export ranking has fallen from first to sixth, causing economic damage.

Full article content is available on the original source.

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Source: Matichon (Original)

Key Quotes

Manit Inta-onpan
"“On May 31, farmer network representatives and the Thai Shrimp Federation submitted a letter to the Prime Minister. On June 4, the national shrimp farmer network will meet the Director-General of Fisheries to submit a letter to the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives asking for short-term relief measures, such as promoting domestic shrimp consumption, providing 20 baht per kilogram subsidy to farmers, which has been effective before.”"
“เมื่อวันที่ 31 พฤษภาคมที่ผ่านมา ตัวแทนเครือข่ายเกษตรกรและสหพันธุ์กุ้งไทยยื่นหนังสือต่อนายกรัฐมนตรีไปแล้ว และในวันที่ 4 มิถุนายนนี้ ทางเครือข่ายเกษตรกรผู้เลี้ยงกุ้งทั่วประเทศจะเข้าพบอธิบดีกรมประมง เพื่อยื่นหนังสือส่งต่อไปยังรัฐมนตรีว่าการกระทรวงเกษตรและสหกรณ์ เพื่อให้เร่งหามาตรการช่วยเหลือระยะสั้น เช่น รณรงค์ส่งเสริมการบริโภคกุ้งภายในประเทศ โดยช่วยเหลือเกษตรกร กก.ละ 20 บาท ซึ่งเคยดำเนินการได้ผลมาแล้วครั้งหนึ่ง”
Manit Inta-onpan
"“The current problem is that since the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives is from the Pheu Thai party, farmers in the South are very difficult to access, likely because the South has no MPs from Pheu Thai, leading to neglect of farmers' issues in the South.”"
“ปัญหาที่พบขณะนี้คือตั้งแต่รัฐมนตรีว่าการกระทรวงเกษตรและสหกรณ์เป็นคนของพรรคเพื่อไทย พบว่าเกษตรกรในภาคใต้เข้าถึงยากมาก คงเป็นเพราะภาคใต้ไม่มี ส.ส.จากพรรคเพื่อไทย ทำให้มีการปล่อยเกียร์ว่าง ไม่ค่อยเหลียวแลปัญหาของพี่น้องเกษตรกรในพื้นที่ภาคใต้หรือไม่”

Key Entities

Organization

Trang Shrimp Network(เครือข่ายเลี้ยงกุ้งตรัง)
An organization representing shrimp farmers in Trang province advocating for solutions to price collapse.
Aquaculture Cooperative of Trang Province(สหกรณ์เพาะเลี้ยงสัตว์น้ำ จังหวัดตรัง)
A cooperative in Trang province that previously had Manit Inta-onpan as its president, involved in the issue of shrimp price decline.
Thai Shrimp Federation(สหพันธุ์กุ้งไทย)
An organization representing Thai shrimp farmers that submitted a letter to the Prime Minister regarding the current crisis.
Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives(กระทรวงเกษตรและสหกรณ์)ℹ️
A government ministry responsible for agricultural policy, to which farmer representatives are submitting a petition for aid.
Pheu Thai Party(พรรคเพื่อไทย)ℹ️
A political party in Thailand whose affiliation with the current Minister of Agriculture is cited by farmers as a reason for perceived neglect of southern issues.

Person

Director-General of Fisheries(อธิบดีประมง)
The head of Thailand's Department of Fisheries, who will meet with shrimp farmer representatives.
Minister of Agriculture(รมว.เกษตร)
The current Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, criticized by farmers for alleged neglect.
Manit Inta-onpan(นายมานิตย์ อินทองปาน)
A representative of shrimp farmers in Trang province and former president of the provincial aquaculture cooperative, voicing concerns about the shrimp price crisis.
Prime Minister(นายกรัฐมนตรี)
The head of the Thai government, to whom a letter concerning the shrimp crisis was submitted.
R. Thammanat Phrompao(ร.อ.ธรรมนัส พรหมเผ่า)ℹ️
A former Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, contrasted by farmers with the current minister for his accessibility and engagement with farmers.

Place

Malaysia(มาเลเซีย)ℹ️
A country that has banned the import of five types of shrimp from Thailand, significantly impacting southern Thai shrimp farmers.
Trang Province(จ.ตรัง)ℹ️
A province in Thailand severely affected by the shrimp price collapse and export ban to Malaysia.
Satun(สตูล)ℹ️
A province in southern Thailand impacted by Malaysia's shrimp import ban.
Songkhla(สงขลา)ℹ️
A province in southern Thailand affected by the shrimp price crisis and Malaysian import restrictions.