Their Majesties preside over annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony

Each year, the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry organises the ceremony, both as a symbolic model for farmers and as a sacred rite intended to inspire agricultural prosperity across the Kingdom.

This year, the ministry permanent secretary Prayoon Inskul served as the ploughing lord. He selected one of three folded cloths and received the one indicating five spans. According to tradition, this signifies moderate rainfall, a good yield of rice and other crops, along with an abundance of both plant- and animal-based food.

Following this, the ploughing lord led a team consisting of celestial maidens and royal oxen in three rounds of ploughing, each performed three times: the first to break the soil into clumps, the second to sow seeds, and the final round to cover the seeds with soil.

From a selection of seven items, the royal oxen chose water, grass and liquor. This is interpreted as an omen that water resources will be adequate, and there will be plentiful crops, fruits, food, and livestock. It also signifies improvements in transportation and foreign trade, contributing to economic prosperity.

Since 1966, the Cabinet has designated the Royal Ploughing Ceremony as National Farmers’ Day to remind those in the agricultural profession of the vital importance of agriculture—a sector that plays a critical role in driving the nation’s economy.