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Ex-Thai PM Yingluck helps farmers sell rice amid falling prices

Xinhua, November 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra Saturday helped farmers sell 10 tonnes of rice to hundreds of people waiting in line in Bangkok as prices of jasmine rice have tumbled to its lowest since January 2008.

Yingluck said at the scene that she felt the obligation to continue to help farmers who are struggling with low rice prices.

"I think in the overall the world economy has an impact (on falling prices of rice). The other issue also is domestic (falling prices of rice at home) and that is why we worry that the situation is getting worse. So when you see news about farmers in trouble, we tend to want to help farmers and I am helping them on my own. So I hope that everybody will want to help the farmers," said Yingluck.

Yingluck told Xinhua that she just returned from the northeastern Ubon Ratchathani Province and trucked in 10 tonnes of jasmine rice to Bangkok, hoping that Bangkok residents would be interested in buying the jasmine rice.

The 10 tonnes of rice were sold out in about an hour. A buyer said he came here because he felt the urge to help farmers.

Yingluck said she will launch similar events at a bigger scale, so northeastern rice farmers will have more opportunities to sell rice to city buyers. Endit