BANGKOK SEATIZENS – Thailand’s Industry Ministry is intensifying efforts to enforce stricter regulations on substandard products falsely claiming to meet Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI) standards. Industry Minister Akanat Promphan announced the initiative after a Cabinet meeting, stressing the need for collaboration with modern trade stores to conduct random product inspections.
ACCORDING TO THAIGER – The Industry Ministry will collaborate with modern trade stores for random inspections, targeting substandard products falsely claiming TISI compliance. Additionally, the ministry is expediting the Industrial Waste and Electronic Waste Act and securing funds for waste management, while intensifying enforcement against illegal factories with weekly inspections.
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Minister Proposes Measures to Reduce Sugar Cane Burning and Air Pollution
The minister will propose measures to the Cabinet to reduce sugar cane burning, a practice contributing to air pollution. This proposal, approved by the Office of the Cane and Sugar Board, will be discussed in a Cabinet meeting within the next one to two weeks.
Over the last five to six years, the government has introduced initiatives to minimise sugar cane burning, offering incentives to farmers who deliver fresh sugar cane. The scheme provides financial assistance of 120 baht per tonne to encourage this practice.
Before these measures, the rate of sugar cane burning was between 50% and 70%. Post-implementation, this rate has significantly dropped to approximately 30%. However, some agricultural areas remain inaccessible to machinery, necessitating manual cutting of crops.
Despite efforts to discourage burning due to environmental concerns, burning leaves before cutting has been the most straightforward method in areas requiring manual labour, according to the Bangkok Post.
(BEAM CHAYAPON)
