War Rooms set up to assist drought-hit Thai farmers

BANGKOK, July 24 (TNA) - Thai authorities have set up war rooms to survey areas affected by drought and to closely follow up the updated situation in order to timely assist local farmers. Samran Sarabun, Director-General of the Department of Agricultural Extension, under the Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, told journalists on July 24 that he has ordered provincial and district agricultural offices in drought-hit zones to open such the war rooms to urgently survey affected areas and work out assistance plans for local farmers timely. Samran said that the war rooms have also been assigned to work together with other relevant parties to quickly address the problem of water shortages for local farmers in their jurisdiction through existing provincial or district-level mechanisms. Besides, local farmers have been provided with updated information on the water situation in their respective areas for their proper awareness and understanding useful for their suitable cultivation plans, while guidelines on how to choose suitable crops and take care of their crops during August-September, when less downpours have been forecast, have also been advised. According to the senior official, affected farmers will receive financial assistance from the government, based on the laws, within 15 days after their areas are declared as emergency drought-stricken zones. The senior official stated, meanwhile, that only legally-registered farmers are eligible for the official assistance, suggesting that new farmers to, thus, immediately register themselves at the the Department of Agricultural Extension through their provincial or district agricultural offices, while those who have already had their names officially-registered can access to an online system, the "Farmbook" application, to make changes for their updated records by themselves. The senior official acknowledged that based on the Ministry of Finance's official notice, drought-affected local farmers will each receive financial assistance for their truely-damaged farmlands, but the official compensation is limited to no more than 30 rai/farmer (2.5 rai = 1 acre), with the official assistance set from 1,113 baht/rai for rice fields, 1,148 baht/rai for plantations and 1,690 baht/rai for orchards and others. (TNA)