Cabinet mulls B5.4bn relief for farmers

The cabinet is expected to approve a 5.4-billion-baht nationwide rehabilitation plan for farmers affected by floods and drought, Agriculture Minister Chalermchai Sri-on said yesterday.

The budget is earmarked for farms hit by tropical storms Podul and Kajiki which affected 419,988 households across much of the North and Northeast and caused 35 deaths in late August and early September.

Mr Chalermchai said drought has caused extensive damage to 4.6 million rai of farmland in 19 provinces, affecting 398,428 farmers. Most of the damaged land was used to grow rice.

The floods inundated 1.2 million rai of farmland and affected 139,888 farmers in 30 provinces, according to the Agriculture Ministry. Also damaged were 3,686 rai of aquafarms.

Mr Chalermchai said natural calamities had disrupted the farming season and reduced overall agricultural productivity as well as farmers’ income. Affected farmers may be pushed to borrow more, resulting in higher household debts, he said.

According to the minister, 3.7 billion baht of the rehabilitation budget will be distributed to relieve the effects of water shortages immediately after the floodwaters have receded.

The money will go toward five projects: growing of drought-resistant crops, sustaining the quality and quantity of paddy rice, promoting the alternative of raising of pla nil (Nile tilapia), supplementing farmers income from fishing river prawns, and assisting in the farming of poultry.

Mr Chalermchai added the rest of the rehabilitation budget will be spent financing schemes designed to generate longer-term supplementary income for the drought and flood-affected farmers.

These schemes are essential for reinforcing the financial security of the farmers who face fluctuating crop outputs brought on by unstable weather. The small-scale farmers, especially, find it hard to access financial sources to sustain their farming operations and livelihoods. said Mr Chalermchai.

They aim to enhance the farmers’ ability to produce crops and quality seeds to be kept for growing future produce, he added.