Thai agricultural production seen lower than targeted this year

[webfact]

Thai agricultural production seen lower than targeted this year
By Digital Content

BANGKOK, July 8 -- The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives projects that rice yields in Thailand will be lower than earlier expected this year due to delayed rains.

Chavalit Chookajorn, permanent secretary of the ministry, said the El Nino weather phenomenon delayed and reduced rainfall in the country and that reserved water was low in reservoirs.

He said that usable water in the Sirikit and Bhumibol dam reservoirs reached only 10 per cent of their combined capacity.

The Meteorological Department expected the monsoon to increase water in reservoirs late this month and there should consequently be enough water for agriculture and household consumption.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives ordered more rainmaking operations to support plantations for the time being.

Under the current weather conditions, Thai farm products should fall in volume this year.

Mr Chavalit said the amount of rice produced this year is expected to drop from the targeted 28 million tons to only 26 million tons. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-07-08

[JoePai]

......... and money

[Thai at Heart]

Thank god for the weather.

Now all they have to do is give emergency payments to alleviate the pain and we have a defacto subsidy not to grow any more rice.

And hey presto, a populist policy becomes a necessity.

[anon467367354]

Everyday the skies are covered from aerosol spraying, I have no doubts why it's not raining and the crops are not growing.

Ever notice that even though there are no clouds, it's still hazy and everything is very dim.

[AloisAmrein]

Rainmaking operations?

[ratcatcher]

Deleted post

Edited July 8, 2014 by ratcatcher

[ratcatcher]

Rainmaking operations?

Thailand started a rain-making project in the late 1950s. The first principle was to scatter sea salt to catch the humidity in the air and dry ice to condense the humidity to form clouds.^[32] The project took about ten years of experiments and refinement. The first field operations began in 1969 above Khao Yai National Park. Since then rain-making has been successfully applied throughout Thailand and neighbouring countries.^[33] On 12 October 2005 the European Patent Officegranted to King Bhumibol Adulyadej the patent EP 1 491 088 Weather modification by royal rainmaking technology.

Wiki

A clever man, non?

[richabb1]

they re a little quick to blame the elnino on dry weather

seems less rain this year in northern parts is due to lesser influence of western rains from the andaman moonsoon.

predicitons for north west pacific state a higher than normal storm activity.

yes drier - but probably not from elnino

[balford]

Don't know where it's not raining but here in Lampang I've recorded 308mm for the peiod 1 May to 1 July and 228.7mm for the same period last year...

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

[belg]

would be stupid of farmers to put their effort in crops when they have to wait 8 - 10 months for their monnies