A farmers' leader has called for an interest-free debt moratorium of 5-10 years if the government bans the planting of a second rice crop for the third time this year.
Thai Farmers Association chairman Wichian Puanglamjiak on Tuesday said if the the government asks farmers not to plant second-crop rice during this period, by citing drought, it would be bad news for planters.
Many farmers did not want to obey the ban if it were imposed, he said. However, they would not stage street protests as they feared drastic legal action by the military government.
What they would do was submit a petition to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his government, appealing for understanding and help, the farmers' leader said.
It would be the third time this year if the ban on off-season rice crops is imposed, he said. Without a rice crop, farmers had no way to earn their living.
Switching to other alternative crops as suggested by the government would not work as prices of many other crops were falling, Mr Wichian said.
Thai Farmers Association chairman Wichian Puanglamjiak on Tuesday urges the government to declare a debt moratorium of 5-10 years for rice farmers. (Photo by Sunthon Pongpao)
He appealed to the government to declare an interest-free debt moratorium of 5-10 years for farmers.
Agriculture Minister Chatchai Sarikulya said earlier he would propose to the cabinet a ban on planting a second crop of rice on 15 million rai of fields because the water shortage is even more serious than previously estimated.
Water reserves were expected to total 3.6 million cubic metres at the end of the rainy season on Oct 31, which was an inadequate amount for farming, said Gen Chatchai.
The Agriculture Ministry would also propose that the cabinet set up a national committee to manage the situation. Ministries in charge of government projects must also be instructed to hire farmers so they have some income.
The ban would mean many farmers will not have been allowed grow rice for most of the 2015 crop year. This involves 870,000 rai that have not been farmed, and the 15 million rai on which planting would be prohibited.
