The Cabinet yesterday approved extending free fares on public buses and trains from November 1 to April 30, with a total subsidy of Bt2.27 billion, while assigning the Transport Ministry to expedite co-ticketing for an integrated public transport system.
Nattaporn Jatusripitak, an adviser to the commerce minister, said the free fares on public buses and trains would be extended for another six months as a way to lower people’s cost of living.
The Budget Bureau has been assigned to set aside a budget for this measure.
The government will cover the cost for 800 public buses on 73 routes serving people free of charge.
The total expense is forecast at Bt1.78 billion.
About 152 standard economy-class trains and eight economy-class long-distance trains will offer free services, with the government spending an estimated Bt585 million.

CABINET APPROVES
MEASURE IN SUPPORT
OF MAIZE PRICE

Feed-meal manufacturers must purchase 4 tonnes of domestic maize for every tonne of wheat they import, according to a measure approved by the Cabinet yesterday.
Feed-meal producers must report their wheat imports to the Foreign Trade Department to ensure their compliance with the measure.
needs to report their import amount of wheat to the country, while they also have to buy maize in domestic in case they have imported wheat from overseas under a one tonne of wheat per four tonnes of maize portion, according to the Cabinet’s approval measure to solve maize price falling in current.
Deputy Commerce Minister Suvit Maesincee said yesterday that the measure would ensure that the domestic price of maize price would not fall too much during the current harvest season.
The measure was imposed after the government previously failed to persuade feed-meal producers to suspend their wheat imports temporarily.
The producers should pay maize farmers Bt8 per kilogram, Suvit said.
This measure will be imposed until the supply of maize gets low, after which the Cabinet will consider to relieving it. If this measure does not succeed in keeping the maize price up, the government may consider more stringent measures, he said.

LARGEST INDONESIAN
COAL MINER EYES
THAILAND DEAL

Publicly listed Adaro Energy, Indonesia’s largest coal miner by market value, aims to penetrate deeper into the Thai market as it seeks to secure a long-term shipment contract with the Kingdom.
Adaro Energy is negotiating the sale of 12 per cent of shares of its subsidiary Adaro Indonesia to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) in a deal that has an estimated value of US$325 million.
Adaro Energy president director Garibaldi “Boy” Thohir expects to reach financial closure before year-end.
“They plan to build a big coal-fired power plant in southern Thailand, which is geographically close to Indonesia. So this is going to be a positive move for Adaro Energy as we could secure a long-term supply to Thailand,” Boy said.
“There aren’t too many companies like us in Indonesia that could supply the right specification of coal … that is needed by the Egat.”
The deal will also see Adaro Energy |ship coal with calorific values between 4,500 and 4,800 kilocalorie per kilogram within a period of 25 to 30 years. |– The Jakarta Post/ANN