BURIRAM, 16 June 2014 – Military officers in Nakhon Ratchasima and Buriram Provinces have been instructed to support government officials in taking care of stockpiles of pledged rice in the areas, in their bids to prevent unauthorized transfer of rice stocks.
The Military Circle of Buriram has announced it would look after Klangpreecha Panitch silo in the province that houses the 2013/2014 pledged rice, making it the fourth party to oversee the rice stocks in addition to the Public Warehouse Organization (PWO), a surveyor company, and the provincial administration. The move is part of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)’s efforts to prevent smuggling or moving the stockpiles from the silo pending a new round of inspection.
Similarly in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, military personnel and the provincial police and PWO officials have been dispatched to examine the stockpiled rice in Ratchasima Boonnapha warehouse. After the inspection, officials put on padlocks on the establishment, a gesture signaling the venue is now under the watchful eyes of the military. All the 48 rice silos in the province are now under the protection of the soldiers.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives Luck Watjananawat has announced that it will close the rice pledging scheme for the 2013/2014 planting season soon with the final payment of 20 billion baht being made on Tuesday June 17th, a bit earlier than the previous schedule of June 22nd.
