Lite Beer Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Cabinet to be asked to completely ban second-crop farming for 2015-16 season BANGKOK: -- The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives will ask the cabinet at a meeting next Tuesday to completely ban second rice crop cultivation covering 15 million rai of farmland during the November 1, 2015-April 30, 2016 crop year due to anticipated serious water shortage. Agriculture Minister Gen Chatchai Sarikalya pointed out that by the end of the rainy season at the end of October, it was anticipated that the country’s main dams would be able to store a total of 3,600 million cubic metres of water which is hardly enough for agricultural purpose.The minister admitted that the anticipated water crisis was beyond the ability of the Agriculture Ministry to handle and, therefore, he would propose the cabinet to completely ban the second crop cultivation which is due to start in November and, at the same time, set up a crisis committee to mobilize all available sources to help the farmers when they cannot cultivate.Due to water shortage this year, main croup cultivation covering 870,000 rai of farmland was not possible as the Irrigation Department substantially cut down the amount of water released into the Chao Phraya river basin, said the minister.But despite the water cutback, he said farmers defied the warning and cultivated second crop in 6 million rai of farmland.Although water shortage is expected to be serious at the end of this year and next year, General Chatchai noted that the situation would not warrant the invocation of Section 44 of the interim charter. Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/cabinet-to-be-asked-to-completely-ban-second-crop-farming-for-2015-16-season -- Thai PBS 2015-09-12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaeJoMTB Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 So all the farmers will have to starve? Or lose their farms when they can't repay their loans? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisY1 Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 (edited) So all the farmers will have to starve? Or lose their farms when they can't repay their loans? Probably both points are true.......just indicates the level of care elitists in the government, military etc, have for the 40 odd million rural people Edited September 12, 2015 by ChrisY1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGareth2 Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 peace, rice, land Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryp Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 expected on the next anouncement he will say songkran will be bigger and better in 2016; we will double the water alowed than last year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worgeordie Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 The farmers will take not a jot of notice about banning a 2 nd crop of rice, they will plant,the seedlings will die through lack of water, then the farmers will plead to the Government for financial help. regards Worgeordie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunna Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 So all the farmers will have to starve? Or lose their farms when they can't repay their loans? Probably both points are true.......just indicates the level of care elitists in the government, military etc, have for the 40 odd million rural people Surely if there isn't going to be enough water for irrigation ( remember farmers don't pay for the water they use, just any cost for pumping it out of the klong ) then it is better to tell them now. Otherwise they will borrow money ( many from loan sharks at exorbitant interest rates ) for cultivation, seed, fuel, fertilizer, spays etc only to find that in 3 months there is no water and their crop dies, but they still owe the money they borrowed. And then they will ask for money to cover their debts and to feed themselves. Much better to let them sit with their mates under the shade of a large tree and drink Lao Khao for 4 months Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taony Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Hope the cabinet votes to give up half their income too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billd766 Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 So all the farmers will have to starve? Or lose their farms when they can't repay their loans? Alternatively millions of Thai people will have NO water for consumption at all. Do you have any sensible suggestions of what to do about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangkokfrog Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 So all the farmers will have to starve? Or lose their farms when they can't repay their loans? Probably both points are true.......just indicates the level of care elitists in the government, military etc, have for the 40 odd million rural people Surely if there isn't going to be enough water for irrigation ( remember farmers don't pay for the water they use, just any cost for pumping it out of the klong ) then it is better to tell them now. Otherwise they will borrow money ( many from loan sharks at exorbitant interest rates ) for cultivation, seed, fuel, fertilizer, spays etc only to find that in 3 months there is no water and their crop dies, but they still owe the money they borrowed. And then they will ask for money to cover their debts and to feed themselves. Much better to let them sit with their mates under the shade of a large tree and drink Lao Khao for 4 months You are 100% correct, Gunna... but how many farmers will listen? How many times have we heard about "bans" like this before that are never enforced (or enforced selectively so that water still reaches those who can pay)? Until we have a government that does more than just talk, farmers will do what they have done for generations. They have families to support and it is hard to blame them. Until there is transparency, consistency and an end to corruption here these kind of problems will continue. Unfortunately, our dear P.M. has shown that he does not have the power and/or cojones to make the call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcatcher Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Hope the cabinet votes to give up half their income too. Due to the very serious lack of rain this season, farmers are being requested / told / ordered not to plant rice due to the large volumes of water required to cultivate this crop. What has serious water shortage got to do with cabinet members or for that matter taxi drivers, factory workers or go-go dancers? The government has said it will find ways to assist the farmers who are in true need of help. Not the wealthy landowners from whom the farmers sometimes rent land. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reigntax Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 If lack of water justifies not planting crops does lack of intellegence and knowledge how to govern a country mean the pm should hand over the duty to someone more competent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billd766 Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 (edited) If lack of water justifies not planting crops does lack of intellegence and knowledge how to govern a country mean the pm should hand over the duty to someone more competent? Who would you suggest? I know, why not Yingluck Shinawatra. After all look at the experience she had in politics before she was "elected" as PM. Edited September 12, 2015 by billd766 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai at Heart Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 And what the hell and they going to have to either pay for food with or eat? They simply have to pay people not to grow. Ooooooh, evil populism makes a comeback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxLee Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 We have rainy season now and more than enough within two months.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billd766 Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 We have rainy season now and more than enough within two months.... And how much rain is forecast in the next 3 months? Thailand is coming to the end of the rainy season but water usage will not drop therefore Thailand will start next year with not as much water as this year and El Nino is still lurking around for another year at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Wetherall Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 And what the hell and they going to have to either pay for food with or eat? They simply have to pay people not to grow. Ooooooh, evil populism makes a comeback. Given the choice of eating or paying the debts they incurred trying to endure they could continue to eat, what will they do? If next year is also another lean year for rain, we'll continue to see society breaking down, but next year (should that happen) I don't think Mr P will be able to control it ny having a hissy fit. If that happens, I suspect soldiers will start dying in the streets, it won't be a good time to be a grunt in Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orac Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 And what the hell and they going to have to either pay for food with or eat? They simply have to pay people not to grow. Ooooooh, evil populism makes a comeback. Given the choice of eating or paying the debts they incurred trying to endure they could continue to eat, what will they do? If next year is also another lean year for rain, we'll continue to see society breaking down, but next year (should that happen) I don't think Mr P will be able to control it ny having a hissy fit. If that happens, I suspect soldiers will start dying in the streets, it won't be a good time to be a grunt in Thailand. Since they aren't busy they might all decide to go window shopping in CentralWorld. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggles45 Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 I remember the ban on the drawing water they issued earlier, follwed a few days later by photos in the Post on the front page of 60 pumps the farmers had set up on a riverbank. It will be ignored, as most other orders are ignored, it is all about THEIR needs, besides Buddah will make it rain, we have been praying !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyphodb Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 And what the hell and they going to have to either pay for food with or eat? They simply have to pay people not to grow. Ooooooh, evil populism makes a comeback. Exactly, Every farmer will ignore this & do as they want, regardless of whether the Cities run out of water... What are they going to do? send the troops in? who are mostly the sons of these very same farmers? This will go down well... not... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaeJoMTB Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 (edited) If lack of water justifies not planting crops does lack of intellegence and knowledge how to govern a country mean the pm should hand over the duty to someone more competent? Who would you suggest? I know, why not Yingluck Shinawatra. After all look at the experience she had in politics before she was "elected" as PM. I believe you will find it was Thaksin who was really the elected PM using Yingluck as his proxy. Thaksin has plenty of experience, so his mouthpiece needs none. And next time there is an election Thaksin (or his proxy) will again be elected. As for our current, self elected PM Prayut Chan-ocha ....... I agree with everything he says ........ Peace. (No arrest and jail for me!) Edited September 12, 2015 by MaeJoMTB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulic Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 While this makes sense and the amount of compensation needs to be worked out, farmers will pay no attention, roll the dice, plant a second crop, if there is enough water great if the crop withers demand aid as it was expensive to fertilize and plant the crop. Like every government official who would like to end corruption, (for the other guy) farmers will agree (the other farmers should not plant) to conserve water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunchbob Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 If you let the field go the year following rice will still grow pretty thick from dropped seeds. Also, rice does not need huge amounts of water. The water is mostly to keep down weeds. So, fallow fields will have a mix of rice, wild rice and grass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Wetherall Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 We have rainy season now and more than enough within two months.... Well I don't know because I left my crystal ball at home, but I think you're probably wrong based on what people who know more and better than me have said. Which also accords with observation. Rivers low, ponds empty yet we've had a few good downpours in the past 2 weeks. It seems the water is re-balancing the water content of the earth, not running off into rivers and dams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddavidovsky Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Won't this have a catastrophic effect on GDP, with all sorts of socioeconomic knock-on effects? Have they thought this through at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elgordo38 Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 So all the farmers will have to starve? Or lose their farms when they can't repay their loans? The elite carpetbaggers are waiting in the wings to descend and buy up their land at a fraction of its value. This drought will now increase the 1% control of over 50% of the country enjoyed by the rich. This drought was bad for farmers but a godsend for the rich. Just another squeeze play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elgordo38 Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 So all the farmers will have to starve? Or lose their farms when they can't repay their loans? Alternatively millions of Thai people will have NO water for consumption at all. Do you have any sensible suggestions of what to do about it? The magic moment comments seem to be "sink a borehole" guess that costs money to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robblok Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Better no rice as there is still enough (and compensate the farmers) then a country without drinking water. Best would be rice and drinking water.. but drinking water is always the most important thing. But of course the farmers need to be helped, cant ban and then not help them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billd766 Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 And what the hell and they going to have to either pay for food with or eat? They simply have to pay people not to grow. Ooooooh, evil populism makes a comeback. Given the choice of eating or paying the debts they incurred trying to endure they could continue to eat, what will they do? If next year is also another lean year for rain, we'll continue to see society breaking down, but next year (should that happen) I don't think Mr P will be able to control it ny having a hissy fit. If that happens, I suspect soldiers will start dying in the streets, it won't be a good time to be a grunt in Thailand. It won't make ANY difference WHO is in power in Thailand if the rain doesn't come. General Nature will decide what will happen. You could always go back several years and ask who ordered the dams to be drained down to low against all advice. I will give you 2 clues. 1 It wasn't the military 2 It was an "elected" government who had chosen the best qualified people to be ministers and the minister of agriculture came from the Chart Thai Pattana party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billd766 Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 If lack of water justifies not planting crops does lack of intellegence and knowledge how to govern a country mean the pm should hand over the duty to someone more competent? Who would you suggest? I know, why not Yingluck Shinawatra. After all look at the experience she had in politics before she was "elected" as PM. I believe you will find it was Thaksin who was really the elected PM using Yingluck as his proxy. Thaksin has plenty of experience, so his mouthpiece needs none. And next time there is an election Thaksin (or his proxy) will again be elected. As for our current, self elected PM Prayut Chan-ocha ....... I agree with everything he says ........ Peace. (No arrest and jail for me!) So according to you the country was being run from offshore by a convicted criminal fugitive. And you are complaining about the Army taking over and being illegal. Well, there is nothing more to say after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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