April 23, 2008
Bangkok - Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej yesterday lashed out at the World Bank and UN for criticizing biofuels for causing increasing food prices.
Two committees were set up by the government to oversee the urgent issues of energy and food prices.
Samak confirmed Thais would have enough rice for domestic consumption.
"Let me ask the World Bank whether they used to ask oil exporting countries before pointing their fingers and blaming us that we have to use rice fields to grow biofuel crops," Samak told reporters.
Samak also angrily attacked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who he said had voiced concern over the world food crisis but failed to tackle rocketing oil prices.
"Mr Ban Ki-moon complained about agricultural producing countries but he never pays attention to oil-exporting countries, which really cause volatility in our world economy," he said.
The government plans to immediately study using abandoned government land to increase agricultural output, according to AFP.
Thailand, world largest rice exporter, estimated rice production would hit 30.93 million tonnes of paddy in this crop year.
The Office of Agricultural Economics forecast total production after milling would be 20.4 million tonnes, with 55 percent for domestic consumption and the remainder for export.
Thailand produced 19.6 million tonnes last year.
