The Prime Minister has reassured farmers of the government’s efforts to help the farming community, particularly with irrigation issues and sustainability, in a speech delivered to the National Farmers Council at its annual meeting.
Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha praised the National Farmers Council for its role in liaising between the operations of the government and individual farmers nationwide, stressing that the government is working to help farmers recover from obstacles beyond their control such as water shortages in places and flooding in some areas, through various measures aimed at helping farmers return to their normal routine and occupation, happily.
He addressed structural issues related to resources such as water, land, seedlings, funding, informal loans, logistics, and marketing, saying that modern technologies and innovations are being implemented to increase the value of farm products, which will require long-term and continual planning covering all parts of manufacturing and marketing cycles.
“We have to solve problems to prevent flooding and prevent drought. But even if the drought comes, we must find other ways. Water supply for consumption, farming, industry, and environmental protection is important, and those are the main water demands. Many people complained that even though we have tens of thousands of cubic meters of precipitation, we couldn’t reserve it. Let’s see, how we can reserve it using dams, in retention areas, in reservoirs; can we build more of them? If we could, then there will be no problem. I would have built them all, but I can’t, because it will affect people. It’s not entirely up to the government. Sometimes we face problems. We can’t construct in forest areas or national parks. We simply can’t, even if I wanted to. The issue remains how can we manage it? This is the problem we must all be aware of.”
 |
 |
 |
