Let Thai Farmers Regain Dignity And Independence

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EDITORIAL

Let Thai farmers regain dignity and independence

By The Nation

The establishment of the National Farmers Council can be a force for good, so long as it isn't co-opted by greedy politicians and corporations

The government's decision to create the National Farmers Council (NFC) is an admirable development. The election of the first-ever NFC board members and the formation of the Council are set to take place next year. This is good news, but the government and all parties involved must work to ensure that the body will really be a driving force to support and improve the livelihoods of Thai farmers, and not allow it to be manipulated by politicians and big corporations.

The NFC is intended as a forum for farmers, who make up the majority of the population. Of the more than 5 million farming families in the country, more than half are rice farmers. These families have been feeding the nation for centuries. Thais should be grateful these grassroots people who guarantee our food security. Unfortunately, many of them are still living below poverty. The prices for agricultural products have been depressed recently, and in addition the governments' assistance programmes to farmers - often politically motivated - are not sustainable in the long term.

The establishment of the NFC should thus enable farmers to directly communicate their needs to the government and the public. The NFC should have a role similar to that of the Board of Trade of Thailand, the Federation of Thai Industries and the Thai Bankers' Association in representing the group's interests with the government.

Therefore the election of NFC members, scheduled for February next year, is crucial to ensure that farmers' representatives will genuinely air the concerns and grievances of farmers. The NFC membership must not be dominated by representatives from big corporations, who will always protect their own interests rather than those of farmers.

The big bullies will do this in a variety of ways. For instance, a big agro-industrial corporation may lobby the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry to block certain seed imports because it wants to control and monopolise the nation's distribution of genetically modified seeds, which cannot be reproduced. This is despite the fact that small-scale farmers should have access to cheaper and better seeds that can be reproduced.

In addition, the NFC should take an active role in tackling farmers' problems systematically, especially issues of land rights. Many farmers have been forced to sell their land to corporate investors and then have to rent or lease back their former property for farming.

Every time the government issues title deeds for newly-developed land in remote rural areas or close to national parks, farmers who have previously been making a living from this land tend to be most adversely affected. These new title deeds almost always end up in the hands of powerful officials or politically connected businesspeople. Consequently, many of these land plots have been turned into luxury resorts while the farming areas have been endlessly encroached upon. This happens despite the stipulation that the farmland must be maintained, as stated in the intent of the land-right law.

Farmers' problems will not be solved unless the government tackles this ongoing issue of land rights. Charging high rents for farmers to farm their own land just exacerbates the chronic problem of indebtedness.

The NFC should also have a role in helping farmers with technical and legal assistance whenever farmers get into conflict with landlords or investors. Many of these farmers are at risk of losing their land titles whenever these conflicts with investors arise. One of the options that the NFC and the government should adopt to assist farmers and to maintain rice plantations is to form agricultural estates for small farmers. This would help increase their bargaining power, and the government should also support them systemically by providing irrigation systems and marketing plans.

Moreover, research and development for agricultural products must be promoted. At present, the budget for agricultural R&D is relatively low. Knowledge sharing and technical education can help Thai farmers in a more sustainable manner than the one-off subsidies that governments prefer to implement.

Eventually the NFC should help instil pride and dignity among Thai farmers. And farmers must not always think of themselves as recipients of government assistance. They should be allowed to regard their profession with pride and dignity. They should be granted a decent living standard via organic and mixed farming instead of dependence on imported fertilisers that damage and contaminate the soil.

Farmers are an integral driving force in our economy. We should think of their products not simply as cheap paddy but value-added quality products.

-- The Nation 2010-12-29

[asiawatcher]

"... Every time the government issues title deeds for newly-developed land in remote rural areas or close to national parks, farmers who have previously been making a living from this land tend to be most adversely affected. These new title deeds almost always end up in the hands of powerful officials or politically connected businesspeople. Consequently, many of these land plots have been turned into luxury resorts while the farming areas have been endlessly encroached upon. This happens despite the stipulation that the farmland must be maintained, as stated in the intent of the land-right law."

Kinda says it all...