Thailand's governing Pheu Thai party won last year's election partly based on a promise to improve the income of rice farmers.
The government introduced a scheme which currently pays them around 50 to 60 per cent more than market prices.
The International Monetary Fund estimates that this could amount to $3.8bn, excluding the cost of storage.
Despite the cost, the government says it will continue with the programme, because it has a duty to look after farmers.
But not everyone agrees that the benefits are worth it.
Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia-pacific/2012/08/201281712215160484.html
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