BANGKOK, 14 Nov 2014 – The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has indicated that starting tomorrow (Nov 15th), it will be handing out the assistance fund of 1,000 baht per rai with no more than 15,000 baht per household for the para rubber farmers.
According to Deputy Permanent Secretary for Agriculture and Cooperatives Sompong Inthong, there are about 51,000 rubber farmers who have registered their names for the compensation fund. They represent 6% of the 850,000 rubber planters.
The payment will start tomorrow in 6 major rubber planting provinces including Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Songkhla, Trang, Amnat Charoen, and Chanthaburi.
Regarding another loan scheme for minor rubber farmers to use in starting a supplementary job, the Deputy Permanent Secretary said that one household would be eligible for one loan, adding that interested rubber farmers must first register their names with the ministry. Authorities would later contact them if they were eligible, he said.
Mr. Sompong said he hoped that at least 100,000 rubber planters would be able to get their hands on the loan. Registration will be open to interested farmers at District Agriculture Offices from November 20th to the year’s end.
