A million Thai rubber farmers sign up for payouts

ERJ staff report (BC)

Bangkok – More than one million rubber planters in Thailand and their families have registered for government subsidies, the Saudi Gazette reported.

Deputy government spokeswoman Sunisa Lertpakawat is reported as saying on 8 October that 1.1m families of rubber growers have registered for the scheme.

The deadline for registration has been extended to 15 October. By then the government expects a total of 1.7m families to have registered.

So far, the government has paid subsidies totalling 79.8m baht (€1.88m) to registered rubber farmers.

Deputy government spokesman Pakdiharn Himathongkham is reported as saying that the government hopes to find ways to increase local consumption of rubber from 527 000 tonnes this year to 750 000 tonnes in 2014.

The increase is an attempt to raise rubber prices for the benefit of local rubber growers.

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Full story from Saudi Gazette