Thailand’s fishermen are unhappy with what they call the government’s half-hearted offer of help. Members of the Thai Fisheries Association plan to meet on Monday before negotiating a new deal with the government.
The government’s recent decision to remove subsidies on diesel oil caused the price of the fuel to rise. To offset the impact on the operators of fishing vessels, the government has allowed them to use what is called “green oil†and “violet oil†– specifically made for boat engines and not usable in vehicles. These categories of fuel have a sulfur content of up to 0.7% compared to 0.035% in diesel used by motor vehicles.
The Chairman of the Thai Fisheries Association, Prasant Silpipat has dismissed claims by the deputy Agriculture Minister Newin Chidchob that small-scale fishermen in 11 provinces had accepted the government’s proposal to keep the price of “violet oil†at 2 baht a litre cheaper than the retail price at petrol stations for a period of three months.
Mr. Prasant said the fishermen remained united in their rejection of the government’s offer. Fishing trawlers, big or small, could not possibly operate profitably with these fuel costs, he said.
Mr. Prasant accused the deputy agriculture minister of trying to drive a wedge within the fisheries sector by manipulating information.
Members of the Thai Fisheries Association are scheduled to meet on Monday to finalise a proposal on how the government might be able to help the industry before forwarding it to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The Association will urge the government to cap the “green oil†price at 13.70 baht a litre with a one-baht per litre increase every two months.
They also want the price of “violet oil†– used by medium and small trawlers operating close to shoreline - to remain 3 baht lower than the petrol station retail price.
Mr. Prasant said he was optimistic that the government would accept the fishermen’s requests.