This Private University Is Accepting Rice for Tuition Fees

  • Thailand struggling with rice oversupply that’s hurt farmers
  • Rangsit University now accepting grain instead of cash payment
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A private university in Thailand has begun accepting rice in payment for tuition fees as the nation struggles under a grain glut that’s hurting farm incomes.

Students enrolled at Rangsit University in Bangkok’s northern suburbs 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.