BANGKOK, Nov 1 (APP/AFP) – Thailand’s junta on Tuesday agreed a $550 million rescue package for the kingdom’s struggling rice farmers, many of whom hail from the political heartlands of the civilian government it toppled. Rice, Thailand’s staple dish and top agricultural export, is a politically delicate area and with the grain prices slumping the junta is desperate to head off potential flashpoints with farmers. On Tuesday the cabinet signed off extra funds to help farmers suffering from the dip in rice prices, and to hold the grain back from the market for several months to avoid an oversupply glut. The cabinet “agreed to aid rice farmers in harvesting and improving rice quality for hom mali (jasmine) rice for the crop year 2016/17 with 19.375 billion baht (around $550 million)” it said in a statement.
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