Suriya affirmed the expedited relief efforts for farmers impacted by the floods in Nan province, revealing that new guidelines have been officially promulgated with compensation amounts doubled. He also ordered studies of river basins and the construction of additional reservoirs to solve the problem in the long term.
At 09:50 on 25 August 2026 at the Government House, Suriya Jungrungkit, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, spoke about the relief measures for farmers affected by flooding in Nan province. He said he instructed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to review existing regulations to assist farmers impacted by the floods, including those in fisheries, livestock, and rice farming. The aim was to clarify how assistance would be provided. Currently, it is clear that compensation criteria have been doubled because the Ministry previously announced the detailed procedural guidelines for emergency assistance in 2026. However, these new guidelines do not have retroactive effect.
Suriya added that damage assessments of farmers' areas have reached 80% completion. The budget required has yet to be determined, but he stressed that affected farmers will receive compensation at the increased doubled rate. He reiterated that any criteria beneficial to those impacted will be implemented by the government to maximize assistance for disaster victims.
Regarding the solution to recurring flood problems, Suriya stated this is a major concern for the Prime Minister. Current reservoirs are insufficient for water storage, and each flood event requires about 20 billion baht annually for relief payments. The public does not desire compensation money since it is inadequate and disrupts livelihoods. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has studied various river basins to develop medium- and large-scale water storage to handle increased water volumes. In Nan province, there is a "City Bypass Canal" project previously studied by the ministry, estimated to cost 20 billion baht. The government is considering which budget sources to allocate and the annual committed budget needed. It is believed this will resolve the flooding problem.