University In Thailand Accepts Rice For Tuition Fees

A private university in Thailand has begun accepting rice in payment for tuition fees.

The school is doing so as the Asian country struggles under a grain glut that is hurting farm incomes. Students enrolled at Rangsit University in Bangkok can pay all or part of next semester’s costs with rice, said Worachat Churdchomjan, a dean who helped set up the program. The goal is to help farming families, and the university will put a higher-than-market value on the grain since prices for some strains are near a decade low, according to Worachat. The university’s step is part of wider efforts to help the 16 million Thais who depend on rice farming but are struggling to cover costs because of oversupply at home and in export markets. While Thailand’s military rulers have unveiled more than $2 billion of support to ease agrarian hardship, farmers are also resorting to everything from sales via Facebook to using stalls at gas stations.