Democrat announces policy to promote economic crops in Northeast

03 July 2007

The Democrat Party announces the policy to promote economic crops in the Northeastern region which is the stronghold of the dissolved Thai Rak Thai party.

Democrat Party Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva says after he has met with agricultural entrepreneurs in Chaiyaphum Province that his party’s policy to combat poverty is based on the Sufficiency Economy. He adds that the party has a plan to promote the region’s economic crops especially cassava as its price has a tendency to increase and it can be processed into alternative energy and starch.

Reporter : RTI-Reporter05

National News Bureau Public Relations Department

interestingly enough , the better 1/2's family are changing some rice to cassava .......

Cassava was one of the original causes of massive deforestation and soil degradation in Isaan, when it was introduced 40 years ago.

To continue promoting it as govt. policy is a step backwards imho, and doesn't fit in with the "sufficiency economy" theory, UNLESS major steps are taken to alter current practices and stop mining soils but getting organic matter and nutrients back into them. Along with sugar cane and eucalyptus, these cash crops on an industrial scale are bad news for Isaan lands in the long term, and thus unsustainable.