Farmers registered for handout scheme set to receive funds by Friday
All farmers who have registered for the 1,000-baht-per-rai scheme should have their funds by the end of this week, Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said.
Phumtham, who also doubles as deputy PM, said funds are being distributed in five rounds, starting with farmers in 21 provinces on Monday. Funds are scheduled to be delivered to farmers in eight provinces on Tuesday, five each on Wednesday and Thursday, and 38 provinces on Friday.
Under this scheme, each registered farming household will be eligible to receive aid for a maximum of 20 rai (3.2 hectares) or no more than 20,000 baht. A budget of 54.33 billion baht has been earmarked for the scheme.
The money is being distributed via the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives.
Phumtham said this initiative is part of the government’s efforts to improve the quality of life for farmers, citing as an example the administration’s decision to forgive farmers’ debts as soon as it came into power. He said he was also planning to utilise technology to boost rice production in order to boost farmers’ income.
