Agriculture Department chief transferred during kickback probe

The director-general of the Agriculture Department, Rapibhat Chandarasrivongs, has been transferred to an inactive post at the Ministry of Agriculture, pending an investigation into allegations that he demanded kickbacks from durian exporters during the inspections for Basic Yellow 2 (BY2) dye in the fruit.

It is reported that the Association of Durian Exporters has lodged a complaint with Agriculture Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat, accusing Rapibhat of demanding kickbacks from durian exporters for the BY2 inspection services provided by the department.

An initial investigation has confirmed that the complaint has merit and a fact-finding committee, headed by the deputy permanent secretary of agriculture, has been set up to probe the allegation further. Rapibhat has been temporarily moved to the ministry to facilitate the probe.

Meanwhile, an inspector-general, Narumon Sanguanwong, has been appointed as the acting director-general of Agriculture Department.

The BY2 inspection is a mandatory process, required by China, to make sure that durian from Thailand is free from the dye, in accordance with safety standards.

Last year, Thailand exported about 860,000 tonnes of durian to China, worth about 88 billion baht.