Thammanat urging rice farmers to give up 3-harvests-a-year farming

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

AGRICULTURE & COOPERATIVES MINISTER Thammanat Prompao said today (Jan.3) rice farmers are being encouraged to give up their three-harvests-a-year occupation and grow another cash crop as an alternative.

During the first day of floor debate on the 2024 budget bill, the agriculture minister confirmed that the Agricultural Extension Department plans to promote the growing of cash crops such as soybeans, corn and coffee in lieu of rice for farmers who may have been largely used to doing the three-harvests-a-year farming.

Given the fact that some three million tonnes of soybeans are for domestic consumption mostly by livestock with up to 90% being imported each year, it is time farmers began to grow soybeans as an alternative occupation in addition to their rice, Thammanat commented.

Given a sustained oversupply of rice and lowered prices in its export markets, the farmers, especially those in the central provinces, are suggested to turn to growing other cash crops on their current farmlands in effort to raise their income and contain the slump in their rice which they may now work in a two-harvests-a-year occupation instead of three harvests.

The Agricultural Extension Department plans to promote some 500 tambon or communities in all regions of the country as manufacturers of “champion” farm products where domestic markets will be readily available to buy them from the farmers.

Thammanat, who has earlier pledged to triple the average farmer’s income in a four-year period, said Thailand produces an estimated 20 million tonnes of rice yearly, half of which is for domestic consumption and no more than eight million tonnes for export.

Meanwhile, the agriculture minister said, the Rice Department, allocated some two billion baht in funding out of the 2024 budget for developing rice genuses, plans to promote newly-developed rice genuses researched by varied institutes for increased yields and competitive export potentials.

The department has earlier produced and distributed some 58,000 tonnes of rice seedlings at very low prices to the farmers in all regions of the country.

Whilst rice production costs may remain very high, bringing a meagre profit to the farmers, modern technology and machinery are yet to be extensively used, according to the agriculture minister.

The Agricultural Extension Department is yet to register and promote modern technology and machinery in the production of rice with more yield and better selling prices whilst the Irrigation Department is to restore and improve 374 water resources in all regions of the country to support the production of rice and other crops, he said.

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Top and Front Page: Agriculture & Cooperatives Minister Thammanat Prompao speaking during the budget debate today, Jan. 3, 2024. Photos: Thai Rath

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