The Minister of Agriculture emphasizes full commitment to supporting rice farmers, proposing to the National Rice Policy Committee a budget exceeding 1.8 billion baht to assist farmers and manage rice seed reserves adequately for the 2026 planting season.
Mr. Suriya Jungrungreangkit, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, revealed that during the National Rice Policy and Management Committee (NRPMC) meeting on 11 June 2026, the Ministry will propose expanding the financial framework for the aid program supporting wet-season rice farmers for the 2025/26 production year. This will cover an additional 233,729 households who have yet to receive assistance.Entitlementunder the measure providing 1,000 baht per rai, capped at 10,000 baht per household, totaling 1,846.96 million baht.
Additionally, the NRPMC is expected to approve measures to stabilize paddy rice prices for the 2026/27 production year, including a loan program to delay the sale of wet-season paddy rice, a credit program for collection and value addition through farmer institutions, an interest subsidy for rice traders to stockpile, and a crop insurance program for wet-season rice. These initiatives aim to reduce risks and strengthen farmers' income security.
Meanwhile, Mr. Anon Nontree, Director-General of the Rice Department, stated that the department has prepared sufficient high-quality rice seeds for the 2026/27 planting season through rice seed centers, research centers, and a nationwide network of community rice centers. Available seeds for sale include 34,970 tons of jasmine rice, 6,275 tons of Thai fragrant rice, 43,475 tons of white rice, 15,230 tons of glutinous rice, and 50 tons of colored rice.
The Director-General added that in 2026, the Minister of Agriculture and the Rice Department place importance on promoting farmers to cultivate rice varieties KDML 105 and KDML 119 as production options that align with market demand and increase farmer income. KDML 105 is a soft white rice variety with high yield, short maturation, good grain quality, and strong market competitiveness. KDML 119 is a soft fragrant white rice variety with high yield, good resistance to diseases and pests, and cooking quality well accepted by consumers, meeting both domestic and international market demands. The Rice Department is accelerating production expansion and distribution of quality seeds to ensure farmers have access to suitable varieties, enabling cost reduction, yield increase, and income stability.
The Rice Department will closely monitor seed production and distribution, promote the use of quality seeds, and transfer production technology to enhance efficiency, create added value, and sustainably improve the livelihoods of Thai farmers.
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