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 Agriculture
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03 Jan 07 12:36
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2007: golden year for Thai rice, says agriculture minister
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TNA
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BANGKOK, Jan 3 - Thailand's Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives Ministry has proposed an ambitious plan to make 2007 a golden year for rice production and export.
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Theera Sutabutr said that the ministry will set aside Bt100 million for research and development to help develop new value-added rice products for export.
Mr. Theera will convene a meeting on January 7 where he plans to set out a strategic plan for rice production and processing.
A related meeting with the Commerce Ministry is scheduled for January 17, according to the minister, to coordinate the Thai government's policy on rice production and export. He expressed confidence that with a fully-integrated plan for rice production and export, Thailand would be in a better position to negotiate with its trading partners.
The Rice Department has been assigned the task of diversifying rice use to create added value.
Mr. Theera stated that an extra budget of Bt100 million is set aside to help the agency develop innovative industrial uses for rice products such as rice bran oil in cosmetics production and as a food supplement.
Moreover, up to 10 scholarships will be granted to potential scientists who are interested in food science. The minister said that the development of human resources is key to the sustainability of Thailand as a major rice exporting country.
At present, he added, the country has fewer than ten experts in rice processing.
Currently 49 per cent of Thailand's 35.5 million strong labour force is employed in the agricultural sector, but only 9.3 per cent of the US$550.2 billion GDP is due to agriculture. Farmers remain the lowest rung on the economic ladder with average monthly income of Bt3,566 (US$98.62 per capita per month). (TNA)
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