The Thai government plans to turn 1,600 hectares of Sor Por Kor land (state land which is transferred to needy families for agricultural use) in three provinces, which form the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), into plantations growing cannabis, hemp and Fah Talai Jone, under a project to develop and add value to Thai agricultural products.
Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thammanat Prompow said the government believes that Thai herbs will become new economic crops for export. They will drive the domestic economy and increase Thai farmers’ incomes.
He said the three herbs have the potential to boost the domestic economy and the government will support the development of these products in upstream, mid-stream and downstream processing under a new business model.
According to the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry, Thailand exported traditional herbs worth 100 billion baht in 2020. Fa Talai Jone (green chiretta) is a medicinal herb, currently in the spotlight because its andrographolide content is used to treat illness caused by COVID-19, while cannabidiol, or CBD, extracted from marijuana, can be used to treat numerous ailments. Hemp extracts can be turned into cosmetic ingredients and its fibers can be used for weaving cloth. (NNT)
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