The Deputy Commerce minister has disclosed that the next auction for nearly 200,000 tons of rice in the government’s stocks is scheduled to take place on April 9
According to the deputy minister, Yanyong Pawongrat, the lot to be auctioned off comprises white rice and Hom Mali rice in the government’s warehouses in various provinces: Buriram, Udon Ratchathani, Si Sa Ket, Suphanburi, Singburi and Chainat.
Those warehouses will be opened between April 2-8 for would-be bidders to check the quality of rice stored there. He expected a number of buyers to participate in the auction.
The auction will be done through the Agricultural Futures Exchange of Thailand, or AFET. The ministry has so far sold more than 500,000 tons of rice through the AFET. It hopes to sell more than 1,000,000 tons in June, generating 10 billion baht to fund the derailed rice pledging scheme.