Bangkok (VNA) – Director-General of the Department of Internal Trade (DIT) of Thailand Wittayakorn Maneenet has unveiled a plan to address drought caused by El Nino, including a proposal to increase rice and crude palm oil stocks for national food security and as a mechanism to stabilise the market, reported the Asia News Network.
The proposal will raise rice reserves by 30% under the Strategic Rice Reserve and crude palm oil reserves by 20% to guard against risks to domestic supply and prices.
Thailand will not face shortages of rice and palm oil because of El Nino as it is a major producer, Wittayakorn said.
Rice and bottled palm oil prices are not expected to rise significantly because stocks are sufficient and shortages are not expected.
Most recently, it met manufacturers of essential consumer goods such as soap, toothpaste and shampoo to ensure sufficient production, with no price increases currently planned./.
Thailand promotes modernisation of timber industry
Darika Saranket, Advisor to the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand, stated that the country promotes the use of economically valuable timber in conjunction with sustainable forest resource management, thereby enhancing the role of the timber industry in economic development and the transition to environmentally friendly development.
