Rights of Thai farmers

By Wanwarang Maisuwong

Rice bowl is another word used to describe Thailand. The word refers to an abundance of natural resources.

Farmers are the people who work on the fields, producing main food for the entire nation and also people in other countries. They are considered to be the backbone of the country; who work hard among the sunlight but gain very little in return.

It is still a question that why the farmers are still poor, while the price of rice keeps getting higher. Who is going to answer this question and who will be protecting and standing beside Thai farmers?

“I quit school when I was 13-year-old,” said Mr.Preecha Ruangjan, the 55-year-old, governor of Pitsanulok, “My parents were so poor and I had to work in the paddy fields along with them to feed my other siblings.”

There are many species of Thai rice from the past until now; the one that is well-known and the most delicious called Jasmine rice. The species keep spreading wider in recent years; opening choices of rice to consumers. Even there are some more choices, but the price of rice in the market is still high, and it seems to be getting higher in every single year. Most of Thai farmers have low education; they do not have many alternatives for their lives. The only thing they can do is working on their own fields or rent somebody’s fields in order to earn money to live their lives and satisfy their needs. They are human being; they are supposed to get rights and protection as well as others.

“I let my cousin rent my paddy field,” said Miss Boonsong Hongtong, a paddy field owner, “But he does not often pay me the rent cost, he has to pay back for his debts.”

The farmers spend most of their daily time in the fields; from planting until harvesting. They put all efforts to produce the most efficient rice. When the rice is ready to sell, the farmers will automatically take the rice to the intermediaries who may be the rice mills, because there is no direct market to sell the rice to the consumers. The intermediaries will later turn the paddy to the raw rice ready for cooking by using technology and expensive machines; in which the farmers themselves have no supports to buy those costly things.

The farmers have to deal with all production processes of making rice; they also have to deal with the price when they face with the intermediaries.

“I want to cook expensive food for my family after selling rice to the mills,” said Mrs.Pattanee Rodyoo, a 27-year-old farmer, “But when I got money from the rice mill, I would stop thinking about good food.”

Apart from devoting their physical and sometimes, mental energy, the farmers also spend money they earn for investment; including; water supply, seed plants, fertilizers, employees, and furthermore they have to pay back their creditors who lend them the money with very high interest rates.

“After I subtract overall expenditure,” said Mrs.Pattanee, “I would leave money only for all necessities and I have to save it for the next season, then I don’t have to borrow.”

Rice mills are considered to be the only people who directly contact to the farmers and buy their products. They pretend to maintain fairness and to provide help to any farmer. On the other hand, they are educated people who seem to be the thinkers and the farmers are just the doers. The rice mills try to lower the price of rice, because, anyway the farmers have to sell them the paddy. There is no wonder that the farmers always come out and call for their rights from government. This may be the only way they can do to deal with the price and higher their standard of living. If there is no response from anyone, then they would stop growing rice, and all Thais will have nothing to consume.

“There are often the protests to bargain the price in front of the city hall,” said Mr.Vorathep Virojphun, Local Administrator, Nakhonsawan Province, one of the rice bowls of Thailand, “They require a higher price and they want us to provide them loans with low rates.”

As we heard in the news, the rice mills moreover cheat on rice stocking. They store some stocks of rice to get a higher price later. It has been being a big issue on media, because it affects the whole country. When they store the rice, then the price of rice in the current market will be higher, and there won’t be enough rice for consumers. And especially, this problem immediately affects the farmers; it discourages them to keep working on their forefathers’ occupation.

“I took those who cheated on rice stocking to the paddy field,” said Mr.Preecha Ruangjan, a former governor of Phijit where the cheating occurred, “I required them to harvest with me, to see and feel how hard the farmers work; and they should not cheat on them anymore.”

The harvesting season was originally around January and February of every year, but nowadays the farmers do the harvest any time they want according to water supply goes through anywhere around Thailand. The government is trying to help them to earn more money and conserve the occupation that transfers from generation to generation. While the non-government organizations have been also established to provide more opportunities to farmers; for example; Thai rice exporter association who aims to encourage rice export internationally and make more investment on Thai rice; and Thai rice mills association, they try to cooperate with other organizations and set the standard price of rice.

If nobody responds to the farmers’ rights, those farmers will be still offended and violated; and this occupation will no longer exist in Thailand and we may have to import rice to eat.