Red flags over ministry's 'blue flag' rice

The Commerce Ministry's move to fill empty bowls leaves many disappointed and angry: no Thai bowl will ever be filled with sub-standard grain

Published on May 16, 2008

The Commerce Ministry made a nice gesture to help cushion the impact of dearer food - it offered to sell limited quantities of rice in five-kilogram bags to poorer households all over the country.

The news about the sale of supposedly "standard" white rice at significantly lower prices was obviously met with excitement by low-income earners - they took to forming long queues wherever the "blue flag" products were sold.

Most people thought they would be getting a bag of rice for Bt120 as opposed to rice of the same quality found at most supermarkets for between Bt160 and Bt170.

However, a lot of them were in for a huge disappointment -- they discovered that the rice they had bought was sub-standard and that they had been misled by the ministry's promise that they would be getting standard rice for less.

The ministry must take such complaints seriously and launch an investigation to find out if that really was the case, and, if so, who was really at fault for misrepresenting facts.

No discounts allowed on quality

From announcements made by the Commerce Ministry, it was understood that it would persuade some retailers to voluntarily supply certain amounts of their best-selling regular white rice and sell it at a discount under the ministry's "blue flag" brand.

Now it's time the ministry made the findings of the investigation public and explained what went wrong and who should take responsibility for the scam, if it comes to that.

Certainly, asking people to buy sub-standard products at a reduced price is not the same as offering a discount. It's more like asking people to drop their standards. And the whole purpose of this cheap-rice-for-the-poor campaign was to help them maintain a certain standard of living at the very least.

Rice has been a staple for Thais since ancient times and for a very good reason too. It provides tasty, nutritious sustenance and goes perfectly well with local concoctions. Virtually every Thai, regardless of their socio-economic background or whether they know how to cook, knows what kind of rice he or she prefers.

Some like their rice cooked until it's soft and a little sticky, while others prefer a firmer texture. Experienced housewives can even tell the quality of the rice just by taking a look at the shape and colour of the grains.

So, there is no way Thais can ever be fooled about the rice they are going to put on their plates.