As a short-term relief of rubber fa

As a short-term relief of rubber farmers' suffering from low rubber prices, the government yesterday decided to set up 3,000 purchasing points across the country to buy rubber from farmers.

Spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives Mr Surapol Jarupong said following his meeting with core leaders of rubber farmers of Thailand’s northern and northeastern provinces that the Rubber Authority of Thailand had agreed to buy 100,000 tons of all type of rubber products directly from 2,000 farmers in the South and 1,000 farmers in the northern and northeastern regions.

The rubber will be sold to manufacturing factories, which will in turn sell finished products such as mattresses, gloves and tyres to the government, he said.

However, the government has put the limit of 150 kilograms that each rubber farmer will be able to sell to the government and rubber purchases will kick off on January 25.

Meanwhile director-general of the Department of Rural Roads Mr Pisak Jitviriyavasin said that eight asphalt producers had agreed to buy rubber latex to use in their existing road construction projects in response to the government’s price support scheme.

The producers have agreed to buy rubber latex at the price of 45 baht per kilo from the RAOT, where the cost price stands at 36 baht. All sides concerned have also agreed to prepare warehouse for increased rubber supplies.

Army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said that Army chief Gen Theerachai Nakvanich had instructed Army agencies concerned to prepare to use rubber based on each agency’s needs to help shore up the domestic rubber price.

He said the Thai Army will buy latex from planters to produce defense equipments and medical supplies to use in the army hospital.

Natural rubber will be bought for different purposes such as as mixtures for road construction as well as latex mattresses, pillows, shoes and gloves for officers, he said.