"Sugarcane farmers" in Ban Nong Chan Ban Nong Chan residents are rushing to harvest sugarcane to avoid risk, while admitting concerns over a possible third round of border clashes.
On 2 Feb 2026 GMT+7, reporters observed that many sugarcane fields in Ban Nong Chan, Khok Sung District, Sa Kaeo Province, remain unharvested. Farmers are working continuously day and night amid worries that border unrest might escalate again.
Thanongsak Soda, 57, a sugarcane farmer in the area, and four workers are cutting sugarcane by hand, each wielding a knife, as harvester vehicles cannot access these fields.
Thanongsak said he cultivates about 30 plots of sugarcane. Large plots have already been harvested by machines. Only approximately 2 rai of smaller plots remain, which harvesters cannot reach because many larger nearby fields are still waiting to be harvested. Therefore, he has to hire laborers to manually cut the cane and also works himself.
He admitted that the rush to harvest now is not only seasonal but also driven by worries about ongoing reports of border tensions, which might trigger a third round of clashes after the elections. If such events occur, farmers might not be able to tend or harvest crops, potentially losing entire fields and severely impacting their income.
Currently, almost no farmers in the border area dare to invest in planting new sugarcane plots due to the uncertain situation. Most choose to keep old stubble to sprout new shoots rather than plowing and replanting, which requires high investment and carries risk.
Many farmers therefore opt to complete harvesting as soon as possible, despite hard work under intense heat, since if clashes do happen, the duration is unpredictable and agricultural income, the main family livelihood, could be completely lost.
Nevertheless, on-site observations show Ban Nong Chan village remains peaceful. Residents continue their usual lives but acknowledge they are closely monitoring the situation and preparing for possible unrest on the border. Some have not yet unpacked since the second evacuation and stand ready to leave immediately if clashes break out again.