FTI urges biomass crops

The business sector is proposing a plan to encourage farmers to grow energy crops to supply well-promoted biomass projects, improving their income while helping to produce raw materials for sustainable power generation.

Sompong Tancharoenphol, vice-chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), said government policy is to support to more than 3 million people, mostly in remote areas, to add value to their crops.

He said the FTI supports farmers growing more energy and biofuel crops by planting fast-growing energy plants that can be rotated easily such as mangium and eucalyptus.

“These fast-growing crops can be harvested within three to five years, allowing farmers to have additional income from supplying raw materials to biomass power projects, which the government also supports,” he said.

He said the FTI, Kasetsart University and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand have conducted a feasibility study on planting these crops, with the FTI presenting it to a meeting of the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB). It is expected to be approved by the JSCCIB soon before the proposal is passed to the government.

The FTI plan encourages more than 3 million farmers to grow fast-growing crops in some abandoned areas, particularly in denuded forests, which cover some 51 million rai across the country, including some areas in the planned Eastern Economic Corridor.

However, the government has to change some laws and regulations to allow farmers to grow lucrative crops in denuded forest areas, said Mr Sompong.

“We are working along with government policy that wants our cooperation in supporting farmers to have higher incomes,” he said.

Smai Leesakul, another vice-chairman of the FTI, said the federation is negotiating with several agencies and private biomass producers to choose local farmers as their raw material suppliers.

The FTI expects to start the first phase of the project by encouraging farmers to grow biofuel crops on 15 million rai, helping to generate some 3,000 megawatts of biomass power, said Mr Smai.