BANGKOK, 17 July 2015 – Farmers have been assured that water will be irrigated to their farmlands, once there is enough supply for household consumption.
Interior Minister General Anupong Paojinda has urged farmers to wait until the government is certain there is sufficient amount of water to meet domestic demands, before they can pump it from rivers.
Struggling farmers will receive government’s assistance, according to Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Amnuay Patise; however, it is not known at this point how much they are supposed to get to help them cope with the drought crisis.
Indebted farmers are likely to be given a grace period by the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives. Provincial governors are to determine whether their respective provinces should be declared natural disaster zones.
In terms of economic growth, Deputy Prime Minister M.R. Pridiyadhorn Devakula said the drought crisis had only a minor impact on the Thai economy.
The government has also given 1 million baht to each of the districts affected by water shortages, which is to be spent on the drilling of water wells in rice fields. At least 30,000 wells have been drilled so far.
