BANTEAY MEANCHEY: Farmers in Svay Chek district of Banteay Meanchey province have expressed happiness over the price of rice in 2022 being higher than in previous years, after intervention from the Royal Government and provincial authorities, who coordinated the price with with traders that buy rice from farmers. This is even despite the fact that this year's rice yield has not been as good as last year.
Farmers in Svay Chek district of Banteay Meanchey province say that the government's intervention to help farmers has made the current price of rice higher and more appropriate for farmers to earn a decent living.
Farmers said that "At first harvest, traders arbitrarily reduced the price of rice kilogram by more than 7 baht (below 800 riel), making it [so that rice yields did not even cover] the cost of plowing. [Additionally,] fertilizers remained expensive, while rice prices were falling.”
However, after intervention and mediation by the relevant authorities, a fixed higher price of rice was agreed upon with traders buying rice from farmers.
“Even though this year’s rice yield was not very good, the price was made acceptable,” said farmers in Banteay Meanchey.
Farmers had previously appealed to the relevant authorities to help solve this problem of falling rice prices, especially asking for authorities to contact traders and establish an agreement to help buy rice from farmers in the province every year.
Separately, traders who buy rice from farmers in Svay Chek district confirmed that the current price of rice per kilogram is between more than 900 riel to more than 1,000 riel, depending on the type and quality of rice.
In mid-November, after a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries met and inspected rice farms, the Director General of the Green Rice Mill, Oknha Phu Puy, volunteered to cooperate with the Royal Government in launching a principle to keep the price of rice stable for farmers in Battambang and Banteay Meanchey provinces, setting the minimum purchase price for Rumduol type 1 rice at 9 baht or 1,040 riel per kg.
