Decharat highlights floods affecting over 1.64 million rai of agricultural land and urges the government to expedite relief within 45 days by increasing aid, fixing eligibility gaps, and providing new startup capital.
On 5 Oct 2026, Mr. Decharat Sukkamngern, Director of the Think Forward Center and Chair of the People’s Party flood monitoring task force, expressed concern over flood damage to agriculture and urged the government to speed up farmer aid. He cited data from the Ministry of Agriculture’s disaster monitoring center showing that between 21 Aug and 2 Oct 2026, 144,738 farmers across 42 provinces were affected, with over 1.64 million rai damaged—1.31 million rai of rice paddies, nearly 240,000 rai of field crops and vegetables, and over 86,000 rai of fruit trees and other perennial plants.
In livestock, 14,359 farmers in 26 provinces were affected, with more than 12.57 million animals impacted—especially over 12.44 million poultry. In fisheries, 5,012 farmers in 24 provinces experienced damage to more than 41,000 rai of aquatic animal farming areas.
Decharat further explained that the damage does not end when floodwaters recede; many farmers face ongoing issues including dead or damaged crops and animals, fruit trees not yet dead but with uncertain recovery, lack of capital to restart production, rising input costs after the disaster, and increased debt burdens that risk some farmers being unable to resume their livelihoods.
He noted that fruit trees such as durian may not die immediately from flooding and farmers attempt recovery after waters subside, but there remains a risk of trees dying later. Meanwhile, government aid measures do not adequately cover costs to maintain fruit trees suffering growth suspension.
Decharat added that a major problem is the prolonged government relief process, sometimes taking 5-6 months due to multiple damage assessments and approval steps. Current aid rates are insufficient for restarting production—2,240 baht per rai for rice paddies, 6,800 baht per rai for completely damaged fruit trees, and 3,400 baht per rai for growth-suspended cases.
Moreover, livestock and fisheries aid criteria have caps, such as no more than five cattle or buffalo, ten pigs, 1,000 laying hens, and five rai of shrimp or fish farming. This results in farmers with damage exceeding these limits not receiving compensation reflecting their actual losses.
Decharat said the People’s Party proposes the government urgently act on six fronts:
1. Rapidly rehabilitate surviving fruit trees by having the Ministry of Agriculture deploy expert teams with budgets to save trees and orchards that can still recover. If recovery attempts fail and trees die later, aid should match that for total damage cases.
2. Control input costs to prevent burdening farmers, with the Ministry of Commerce overseeing prices of seeds, seedlings, chemicals, and other production inputs to avoid opportunistic price hikes while many farmers simultaneously restart production.
3. Increase aid amounts and ceilings to align with actual damages. The government can use Cabinet resolutions to allocate emergency central funds in addition to advance government payments, similar to measures during the 2011 great floods.
4. Complete compensation payments within 45 days by reducing unnecessary steps, employing technologies like satellite imagery and drones for damage surveys, and decentralizing decision-making to local officials to prevent months-long waits.
5. Revise farmer registration criteria to avoid excluding genuinely affected individuals—especially those who have not updated registrations, those farming land without legal titles, or land tenants. The government should allow alternative evidence to verify farming activities and actual damage.
6. Restructure debts and provide new capital for farmers to restart, with the government coordinating with the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) to implement measures beyond debt moratoriums, including startup capital, crop insurance, grace periods during no production, suitable repayment structures, and early-stage supplementary income measures.
Decharat also stressed that the damage must be viewed in terms of consumer impact, particularly with over 12.4 million poultry affected. The government must closely monitor and balance production to prevent shortages, such as of eggs, which could drive prices up and burden the public.
“Post-flood assistance should go beyond compensation payments to ensure farmers have capital, production inputs, and debt structures that enable recovery. The government must ensure relief is swift, inclusive, and comprehensive—from preserving surviving assets to restarting production,” Decharat said. Decharat concluded.