ID :
343591
Tue, 10/07/2014 - 12:21
Auther :

Thailand to set up agricultural zonings

BANGKOK, October 7 (TNA) - Thailand's interim government of Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha has decided to set up agricultural zonings for rice fields, rubber plantations and those of other agricultural products for higher yields. General Prayuth told journalists of the policy, after chairing a National Rice Policy Committee meeting in Bangkok on Monday, aimed to boost overall productivity of local farm produces through increased yields but reduced factors of production, namely land use and water consumption. General Prayuth, who is also Chief of the army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), said that the Ministries of Interior and Agriculture and Cooperatives have been assigned to set up a joint committee with other government agencies concerned in specifying the agricultural zonings and finding ways to raise demand and prices of Thai rice and other farm products on the world market to improve quality of life of Thai farmers on the sustainable basis. According to the prime minister, the assistance will cover local agriculturists both within and outside irrigational zones and also find farmlands for low-income farmers. The prime minister vowed that his government will, one year from now, continue to help farmers. The Thai Cabinet gave the green light last week to inject a 40-billion baht-state budget to assist rice farmers at 1,000 baht per rai (2.5 rai = 1 acre), as part of his administration's ongoing economic stimulus measures, after paying those have their grains pledged under the rice-pledging scheme of the previous government. The prime minister noted that the Tourism and Sports Ministry has also been assigned to promote eco-tourism by asking farmers to offer home stay services to foreign tourists so that they will be enable to learn Thailand's rural lifestyles. (TNA)

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