Thailand: Petition to review grain imports, smashing domestic corn prices, falling prices

The Agronomy Trade Association in Thailand has appealed to the Minister of Commerce, Jurin Laksanawisit, for a fair and sustainable solution to the problems arising from the use of animal feed raw materials. The association believes that the import of large quantities of wheat, maize meal (DDGS), and barley has led to the excess of Thai maize in the market, causing its price to fall and leading to financial difficulties for farmers. The situation is further worsened by the government's policy of guaranteeing a minimum price of corn to growers, which results in subsidies being paid from taxes when global market prices are higher. The association argues that the government's policy favors the meat export sector, ignoring the agricultural sector's lack of benefits and value addition. They propose the use of domestically produced carbohydrate raw materials like rice and cassava to stabilize the supply and create economic benefits, and suggest restrictions on the import of substitute raw materials to protect local farmers and reduce the burden on the government from income insurance and compensation programs.