Government Extends Feed Corn Purchase Price Support Until August 31

The National Corn Production and Management Committee (NCPMC) has approved an extension of the animal feed corn purchase price through August 31, 2026. Deputy Prime Minister Supachai Sutharmphand, chair of the committee, announced the decision following a meeting to review feed corn management and pricing strategies suited to current conditions, with the goal of supporting farmers while avoiding negative effects on the production chain and consumers.

Farmer support must begin by addressing root causes, particularly production costs and farmers' competitiveness—factors critical to their long-term income and survival. Purchase pricing must be based on accurate cost data to enable fair and rational price-setting. Sutharmphand noted that a key problem is conflicting cost information: farmers report rising costs while the Agricultural Economics Office data shows declining costs. If this discrepancy is not resolved, it will cascade through the animal feed, livestock, and aquaculture industries, ultimately affecting consumer prices. Therefore, cost data must first be reconciled with actual conditions and reach mutual agreement.

The committee has tasked the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives with urgently addressing farmer production capacity, including seeds, quality, efficiency, production costs, and yield per acre, so farmers can reduce costs and compete better without relying solely on higher purchase prices. The ministry has also been asked to consider support measures for the 2025/26 crop year if production costs genuinely increase, coordinated with relevant agencies and in line with cabinet resolutions.

Regarding pricing, the meeting approved an extension of the Commerce Ministry's announcement on domestic animal feed corn purchase prices for 2024/25 until a new announcement is issued, maintaining the current pricing criteria and structure to prevent a price gap and protect farmers from the expiration of the previous announcement on July 31, 2026.

The committee assigned the Agricultural Economics Office, the National Farmers Council, the Thai Animal Feed Producers Association, and the Fisheries and Aquaculture Federation to review production cost data to reflect reality and gain mutual acceptance by August 31, 2026. This review should cover farmer costs, yield per acre, operator costs and burdens, market conditions, demand, and substitute materials to inform future pricing decisions. The National Farmers Council and Fisheries Federation were also tasked with clarifying purchase price announcement criteria to farmers.