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Published on April 18, 2008

The Nation

Manufacturers have had to shoulder the increasing production costs of maize, soybean, rice bran and broken rice. The costs have recently risen to a record high along with increasing global prices.

Pornsilp Patcharintanakul, president of the association, said yesterday maize at the Chicago Futures Market had been offered at the historic high price of US$6 (Bt188) a bushel. The domestic price also increased from Bt5.46 per kilogram in 2003 to Bt7.99 last year, a jump of 46.25 per cent during the period.

Rice bran prices had shot up by 91.15 per cent since 2003 to Bt9.29 per kilogram this year while broken rice went up by 118.83 per cent to Bt13.13 per kilogram this year. The soybean meal price at Chicago increased by 78.79 per cent.

Imported soybean meal has been subject to a tariff of 4 per cent. However, manufacturers want the government to eliminate the tariff.

"We don't want to see a monopoly which has been managed by the government through its price-control measures since 2004. The controls are against the market trend and will damage market mechanisms," Pornsilp said.

He emphasised that manufacturers insist on producing high-quality feed meal in spite of the increasing cost of major raw materials.