Govt to help rice farmers tap online channels
The Commerce Ministry will help farmers sell their rice directly to consumers in Thailand and abroad via social media and other online as well as offline channels. This is part of a bid to reduce dependence on middlemen as domestic paddy prices hit a 10-year low. Banjongjitt Angsusingh, director-general of the Department of Business Development, said the agency will work with the Thai retailers’ association to market milled rice using e-commerce websites and social media such as Facebook and Instagram to tap Thai and foreign buyers. Domestic paddy prices have dropped to the lowest level in about a decade, averaging at Bt5,000 to 6,000 per tonne, which is too low for farmers to make a profit. As for social media and online channels, she said, the agency will use its own website, ThaiCommerceStore.com, as the main platform featuring special banners advertising Thai milled rice and other rice and related products. Those farmers who have their own website can add their link to this platform so visitors from across the world can reach the farmers’ sites. Farmers who do not have their own website, but use social media such as Facebook and Instagram can have their own social media links on the ThaiCommerceStore.com website.
