Farmers urge PM to ease fuel crisis as Middle East war hits production costs

Farmer representatives on Wednesday submitted a petition to the prime minister calling for urgent measures to ease hardship caused by the energy crisis, warning that the prolonged conflict in the Middle East is driving up fuel costs and disrupting farm production across Thailand.

At the Government Complaint Centre 1111 on Wednesday (March 18), Singchai Rueangkhachon, chairman of the coordinating working group for members of the National Farmers Council in the Central region, led representatives of farmer groups in submitting the letter through Santi Piyatat, Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The group said tensions in the Middle East, which are expected to drag on and intensify, have created transport constraints and uncertainty in global energy markets, pushing fuel prices higher and affecting Thai farmers on a broad scale, particularly those involved in field crops, horticulture and aquaculture.

They said some farmers were also facing fuel shortages in certain areas because of restrictions on fuel sales at service stations, severely affecting the use of agricultural machinery. Without adequate fuel supplies, production could be disrupted and farm incomes would ultimately suffer.

To help the agricultural sector continue operating, the group proposed two urgent measures. First, registered farmers should be allowed to buy fuel in jerry cans for use in agricultural machinery under appropriate criteria and quantity limits. Second, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the Ministry of Commerce should link farmer registration databases to introduce fuel price supervision measures specifically for the farm sector.

Santi accepted the petition and reiterated the Energy Ministry’s position that Thailand still has sufficient oil reserves to meet demand. He said the matter would be forwarded to the prime minister for further consideration.