BANGKOK, 26 July 2012 – Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has insisted that the government has been adhering to the government-to-government (G2G) framework in the sales of Thai rice, without dealing directly with local buyers as speculated.
Prime Minister Yingluck denied that the G2G approach to selling rice under the government’s rice pledging scheme has cost Thailand its rank as the world’s largest rice exporter. She claimed that the sales of Thai rice have not been conducted only via the G2G agreement but also via the export of rice acquired from local producers.
Ms. Yingluck supported her argument by referring to Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom’s statement, which claimed that, besides the G2G method, Thailand has also been selling rice through public bidding, which has already been held thrice so far, and that the sales of rice have never been dealt directly with buyers.
The premier said since global consumers are aware of the high quality of Thai rice, it is, therefore, appropriate for the rice to be sold at different rates. As for the rice export target this year, she said it has been set at 8.5 million tons.
