BANGKOK, 24 July 2015 – Farmers in several Northeastern provinces have rejoiced over the continuous rainfall that has replenished their rice fields.
In Srisaket, farmers are beginning to remove rice saplings from their rice paddies, as the water levels rise quickly. They will later be replanted when the next rice growing season officially begins.
These farmers said they have been waiting for rain for nearly two months. More than three million rai of rice paddies in Surin province have received rainfall over the past two weeks.
However, there is not enough sugar cane to feed the elephants, as most sugar cane trees died before the monsoon. Surin province is famous for its elephants. Many elephant herders ended up spending nearly 10,000 baht a month to feed the animals.
As for Bueng Kan province, many species of fish have reportedly been migrating upstream to canals, which were previously parched due to the lack of rain. Many local farmers turned to fishing to supplement their income.
