Thailand asks farmers not to grow off-season rice on drought worries

 

FILE PHOTO: A woman shows collected rice seeds during the annual royal ploughing ceremony in central Bangkok, Thailand, May 9, 2019. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The Thai government has asked farmers in 22 provinces to not grow off-season rice, as the country braced for a dry spell amid low water levels in main reservoirs.

 

Thailand, the world’s second-largest rice exporter after India, will not have enough water to grow the crop in some 960,000 hectares of rice fields around the Chao Phraya River basin in the coming months, authorities said on Monday.

 

Water in the country’s four main reservoirs covering the 22 provinces currently stood at 5.4 billion cubic meter, a level lower than 12 billion a year earlier, said Thaweesak Thanadachophol, deputy director-general of the Royal Irrigation Department.

 

“That’s enough for consumption but not for off-reason rice growing,” Thaweesak said.

 

“So we’ve asked farmers not to grow rice.”

 

Off-season rice growing usually starts in November and harvest begins in February. Thailand entered a dry season on Nov. 1, which is expected to last through to April 30 next year.

 

Last month, the cabinet approved a series of drought management measures, including drilling groundwater wells and making artificial rain.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-11-11

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Nobody can afford to buy it anyway.

And of course they will all comply with this polite request (NOT). The government are effectively asking them to give up half a year's income. Surely there is a more practical solution?

Around Chiang Rai, seems to be plenty of water in the irrigation channels. Looks like bumper crops.

31 minutes ago, bangkokfrog said:

And of course they will all comply with this polite request (NOT). The government are effectively asking them to give up half a year's income. Surely there is a more practical solution?

Maybe a 10 billion baht stimulus package that they can borrow from! Sink them further into the debt cesspit!

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Thai government has asked farmers in 22 provinces to not grow off-season rice,

asking farmers not to farm ? won't work or certainly won't work well enough

1 hour ago, bangkokfrog said:

And of course they will all comply with this polite request (NOT). The government are effectively asking them to give up half a year's income. Surely there is a more practical solution?

 

In our district ( Chaiyaphum province, many farmers failed their main crop if rice, and sugar looks poor too.

 

They won't plant a second crop. All the near canals and ponds bone dry.

In the meantime, price of sticky rice, the issan preference, hit 50thb/kg.

 

The question, how will the issan farmers eat? Cos poor rice and sugar crops directly mean less income, not only from farming, but also cutting for others.

Lots of new small business sprouted up, mainly small eateries, in hope to create an income to compensate for the farming losses...but without money, most of these empty, and will only lead to more losses ( and drive more to the loan sharks).

 

Even if someone would have rice or sugar, the exchange rate put pressure on them.

 

But Thailand is doing great in all front!!

 

 

2nd biggest exporter REALLY?

http://www.tidalimpex.com/blog/top-10-major-rice-exporting-countries-in-the-world/

 

It would be nice if the government could reflect on the work of King Rama 9. Historically the Northern hills of Thailand where part of the Golden Triangle. King Rama 9 was part of the eradication of drugs production from this area. Not because he told people to stop producing, but because he offered them alternative crops to produce and to make money from which we see in the royal projects that have successfully taken root in the North of Thailand (Coffee, Strawberries, Courgettes etc), are all grown and sell well locally and globally. 

 

The government needs to reflect on how the past king changed people habits and agriculture not by forbidding something, but by offering alternatives. At present no one is helping these rice farmers with alternatives, which includes knowledge. If people are hungry they will continue to do what they know to get money as there is no other option. In this instance grow rice or sugar. 

 

So offer these people some alternatives; cash crops that require less water, so poverty does not force them back into the cycle of growing rice, when the climate cannot support it, thus exacerbating the cycle of poverty. 

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

“So we’ve asked farmers not to grow rice.”

 

So what they will grow ?

 

Maize is even thirstier than rice ...

That's what I found:   grass that makes you laugh ( weed ) 

We've had good rains. The Chao Phraya is high. What is the problem? Durian?

The government needs to assist farmers financially if they don’t grow rices.

The magic word is missing.

Fit  'sustainable' in there somewhere and it's fixed.

59 minutes ago, kevin612 said:

The government needs to assist farmers financially if they don’t grow rices.

 

It's impossible, they made a " coup "  to fire Yingluck who did the same thing. 

4 hours ago, tingtong said:

The question, how will the issan farmers eat? Cos poor rice and sugar crops directly mean less income, not only from farming, but also cutting for others.

Generally they eat what they grow.

No income required to eat.

11 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

 

It's impossible, they made a " coup "  to fire Yingluck who did the same thing. 

 

The coup came along long before pretty little Miss red shirt arrived on the scene.

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Thai government has asked farmers in 22 provinces to not grow off-season rice, as the country braced for a dry spell amid low water levels in main reservoirs.

Just go hungry instead !

5 hours ago, jonclark said:

but by offering alternatives.

does it work for govts.......all myths  anyway

6 hours ago, legend49 said:

2nd biggest exporter REALLY?

http://www.tidalimpex.com/blog/top-10-major-rice-exporting-countries-in-the-world/

 

I think what people often confuse is rice production and rice exports.

 

Thailand is the second largest rice exporter after India, but it's way down the list in terms of total rice production.

 

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-countries-producing-the-most-rice-in-the-world.html

On 11/11/2019 at 8:20 PM, snoop1130 said:

Thailand asks farmers not to grow off-season rice on drought worries

Message received and (again) ignored.

For example - October 9, 2019: Farmers to be asked not to plant second rice crop due to water shortage (Chao Phraya River basin).

Why do farmers ignore government warnings?

Because the government rewards the farmers.

August 27, 2019: Rice, palm oil price guarantees fixed, rubber next. 

The Cabinet approved a rice budget of Bt21.495 billion for 892,000 farm families registered with the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry applicable starting October 2019 through September 2020 and covering five types of rice.   https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30375455