Thai Rice Haul Seen Winning Votes as Sales Drop: Southeast Asia

For Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s ruling party, keeping the farmers that form its political base happy is more important than retaining the country’s 30-year position as the world’s top rice exporter.

Shippers including the 100-year-old Kamolkij Group and opposition politicians have vilified the government’s policy to buy rice at above-market rates, saying the measure is putting exporters out of business and encouraging corruption. Officials say the price-support stance declared in parliament a year ago today is boosting the economy and helping the third of the population that depends on rice farming.