More than 40 farmers from several provinces lodged a petition with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) Thursday to take legal action against a firm which allegedly duped them into a Japanese sweet potatoes scam.
Along with the petition, Lop Buri farmer Thanchanok Ritbamrung and Phitsanulok farmer Sombat Somaseng, submitted the company's supposed marketing plan as evidence, calling on the department to accept the issue as its special case.
According to the plan, if farmers invested 40,000 baht in one rai of Japanese sweet potatoes for 45 days, the firm would pay 400,000 baht in cash for potato yields at their farmland.
Among those potato varieties are Okinawan, Hawaiian and Beniharuka sweet potatoes.
In addition, farmers who persuade others to invest in more than 30-35 rai of potato cultivation, would be appointed as group leaders. The company would also make a down payment for a pickup truck.
Ms Thanchanok said the company also provided training on Japanese potato cultivation for farmers to lure them into the scam.
The training was provided by two managers of the company.
Farmers who wanted to invest in Japanese potatoes signed an agreement to buy the potato seedlings valued at 10 baht from the company, she said.
The company would buy any potato yield with 30 centimetres in length, she said.
Ms Thanchanok said the company sent their employees to inspect farmland to prevent use of chemical fertiliser and promised grand returns during the early period of investment.
However, the firm later told farmers to deliver potato yield to the company but did not pay as promised, claiming it needed to examine the quality of potatoes first.
The firm paid only fuel cost of 1 baht per each kilogramme of potatoes.
When farmers demanded their returns, the managers denied to receive their calls and informed them via Line chat that the company was closed during May 1-6 for Labour Day.
According to Ms Thanchanok, more than 100 farmers across 25 provinces were lured into the scam.
Mr Sombat said he was among the first farmers in Phitsanulok to grow sweet potatoes.
He also persuaded his relatives and local farmers to invest in around 30 rai of potato farming. The company then made a down payment on a pickup truck for him.
He later noticed irregularities as payments were delayed and receipts were not issued in the name of the firm.
Nakhon Sawan farmer Wanwarin Pinthong said she invested 70,000 baht in one rai of Japanese potatoes and should have received 120,000 baht in return.
However, the company paid her only 70,000 baht and another 7,000 baht for fuel cost, claiming her potato yield was rotten.
