Late News :Pricing-scheme losses written off
The Farmers Assistance Measurement Committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula, yesterday approved a Bt90-million budget to write off the losses from a price-intervention scheme for black tiger shrimp in 2004.
"There was a proposal to set up a working committee to probe the issue. While the majority opposed with the proposal, they acknowledged that once damage occurs, the government must take responsibility," said a source from Government House. The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives will draft a detailed plan for the budget allocation. Pridiyathorn's committee also extended the price-intervention programme for black tiger shrimp from December 2006 to December 2007, so that the bank can write off the debts. The intervention scheme will then be ended.
Nod from CNS On a visit to the Commerce Ministry yesterday, Council for National Security deputy secretary-general Saprang Kalayanamitr expressed satisfaction that the agency's operations were in line with CNS policy. "The Commerce Ministry must not come under political pressure, or distort facts for the benefit of certain groups of people," he said after meeting ministry officials. Faster spending Government budget disbursement in the first four months of this fiscal year accounted for only 22 per cent of the Bt1.56-trillion budget for the full year, according to the Finance Ministry. The Comptroller General's Department said yesterday that Bt344.98 billion had been disbursed from October to January. Of the total investment budget of Bt335.45 billion, only Bt31.93 billion was disbursed in the period. Manas Chaemveha, spokesman of the department, insisted that the rate of disbursement would gain speed, as budget disbursement legislation was enforced on January 9. Faster disbursement is expected to shore up the economy, at a time when private investment and domestic spending have slowed and the strong baht has damaged the export sector.
Power meeting The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) expects the electricity-fuel factor for the period from February to May to be cut by 5 satang per unit due to the relatively small change in fuel costs. The subcommittee on fuel factors will convene on Tuesday to discuss whether the factor for the four-month period should be changed. PEA governor Pracherd Sookkaew yesterday said the average power rate would stay unchanged from last year.
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