The cabinet yesterday gave the nod to 8 billion baht worth of soft loans to encourage farmers in 35 provinces in the Central Plains to grow maize instead of rice during the latter crop's off season. The scheme aims to prod farmers in those provinces to grow maize on 2 million rai. The government pledged to buy 6,000 tonnes of sunn hemp seeds for 20 baht per kilogramme. According to Kobsak Phutrakul, vice-minister in the Prime Minister's Office, the cabinet yesterday also approved a draft financial development plan for communities, with the purpose of narrowing income disparity and promoting savings. The development plan calls for empowering all communities to create jobs, increase access to funding sources, reduce household debt and end reliance on loan sharks.

Source: Bangkok Post November 16, 2016 00:17 UTC