Agriculture Ministry Unveils Flood Relief Package for Farmers

The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has launched flood relief measures drawing on fiscal years 2027-2028 budgets from all departments to assist affected farmers, preparing to submit proposals to the Cabinet for maximum coverage. On October 22 at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Permanent Secretary Sarawut Nuengjamnong chaired a meeting to monitor relief for farmers impacted by flooding, attended by Deputy Permanent Secretary Raphiphat Chansriwong and relevant agencies.

Sarawut stated that Minister Suriya Juengroongruangkit ordered urgent, transparent assistance for the public and farmers using the farmer registry database to streamline relief processes. The directives include: coordinating with the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) and financial institutions for debt suspension, rehabilitation loans, and deferred-sale loans to prevent informal debt cycles; rapidly restoring production factors better than before, including soil improvement and support for seeds, livestock breeds, and aquatic species; deploying proactive teams with vaccines and medicines to control disease outbreaks in crops and livestock after floodwaters recede; and planning cultivation — especially rice farming — to match water availability.

For targeted agricultural heat relief, capital support has been ordered for cooperative members, land reform farmers, and rubber farmers (totaling 232 million baht): the Cooperative Promotion Department will subsidize interest on loans up to 300,000 baht per member at 3% per year for one year (200 million baht); the Land Reform Office will provide low-interest loans at 0% for the first year then 2% for borrowers with no arrears, up to 50,000 baht per year repayable within three years (20 million baht); and the Rubber Authority of Thailand will give 10,536 rubber farmers up to 3,000 baht each for heat relief, or up to 30,000 baht in case of a farmer's death (12 million baht).

Additional production factor support totals 112.49 million baht: the Land Development Department will supply 641,148 liters of LDD6 product for wastewater treatment and odor reduction covering about 6,600 rai (8.33 million baht, 438,084 liters already distributed); the Cooperative Promotion Department allocates 10 million baht to cooperatives and farmer groups for asset damage compensation; the Fisheries Department will produce 800 million aquatic species for release into natural waters (90 million baht); the Livestock Department will deploy mobile veterinary units to treat 26,000 animals with medicines, antibiotics, dewormers, supplements, wound sprays, anti-inflammatories, vitamins, and wound care, plus distribute 3,000 kg of roughage (3.71 million baht); and the Rubber Authority will provide survival factor support to 1,632 registered rubber farming households hit by disaster (451,000 baht).

Sarawut added that further support for production factors and knowledge to restore farmers' livelihoods exceeds 171 million baht, with the Livestock Department supplying 1 million kg of hay and grass seeds.