The Industry Ministry failed to sign an agreement yesterday with sugar-cane growers, causing the postponement of Bt680.57 million in debt payment for their raw-material supplies to the financially troubled Wangkanai Group.

Unsatisfied with this, thousands of sugar-cane growers have threatened to protest against the ministry, because the draft agreement delay causes them to face a delay of payment from the Wangkanai Group for raw-material supply contracts.

About 6,000 farmers had hoped to receive money for their production today if the agreement were completed yesterday.

"We are disappointed with the government, which promised to pay us within 16 days. We had to wait until yesterday for an agreement to end the problem, which has been put off," Kamthorn Kitichotisub, a representative of the farmers, said yesterday.

He added that the affected farmers wanted the government to speed up the completion of the agreement so they could survive.

The sugar-cane farmers have not received money totalling Bt680.57 million for their production from the Wangkanai Group. The Cabinet on April 24 ordered the Industry Ministry to find a solution and demanded a settlement of the problem within 16 days. So far, the farmers have not been paid for their production.

The agreement signing among the five concerned parties - the Office of the Cane and Sugar Board, the Cane and Sugar Fund, the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), exporters and the Industry Ministry - was cancelled yesterday, because of unfinished consideration of the agreement's details by prosecutors.

With the agreement, the ministry will borrow Bt752 million from the BAAC and lend it to the Wangkanai Group to pay its debt. Wangkanai is also required to pledge its stockpile of 759,528 sacks of sugar to the ministry; if the group cannot pay the ministry, the sugar will be sold.

Industry Ministry inspector-general Vim Roonggrout said the agreement had been submitted to prosecutors on April 27 with no result. The officials should concentrate on the details of the agreement, in order to make sure it was correct and in line with regulations and the law, he said.

Chalida  Ekvitthayavechnukul

The Nation