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Published on February 16, 2008

Theerachai said after the meeting with association president Somchai Sritrakul that the agency had expressed concerns over the rising interest of farmers in growing cassava due to higher prices driven by demand for food and biodiesel production.

Theerachai said the association

was worried that next year tapioca prices could begin to fall due to overproduction.

"They [the representatives] asked the ministry to find ways to raise the yield per rai, reduce planting costs and maintain export markets.

"Preliminarily the Office of Agricultural Economics has been assigned to register tapioca farmers and to establish the area under plantation and the number of processing plants around the country. This information is necessary for drawing up short- and long-term strategies," he said.

The Nation