Bangkok: Dr. Nipon Puapongsakorn, an honorary scholar at the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), has critically analyzed the agricultural policies of political parties, expressing concerns over the price and profit guarantee policies.
According to Thai News Agency, Dr. Nipon fears that land deeds issued by the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) could potentially fall into the hands of politicians and influential local figures, posing significant risks to the integrity of agricultural reforms.
Dr. Nipon highlighted that while price and profit guarantee policies are designed to alleviate farmers' hardships from low product prices, they can lead to negative outcomes. The International Food Policy Institute has found that such policies can distort resource utilization, harm the environment, and exacerbate inequality. For instance, if a subsidy ceiling is set at no more than 20 rai per household, a farmer with 60 rai of land might divide their household into smaller units to exploit additional subsidies.
Furthermore, Dr. Nipon pointed out that the yield per rai for Thailand's major crops, including rice, sugarcane, corn, cassava, and rubber, is lower compared to other Asian countries. He urged for a shift towards subsidy policies that promote sustainable and stable agriculture, focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, lowering costs, and increasing productivity. He cautioned against policies that reduce production costs through distributions of inputs such as fertilizers and seeds, as they are prone to corruption. Citing a past incident, he recalled the 2004 purchase of 90 million rubber seedlings, which led to corruption charges and significant financial losses for the government.
Dr. Nipon emphasized the need for clear policies to prevent the transfer of Sor Por Kor land titles to politicians and influential figures. Despite being one of the countries with the largest land distribution, Thailand still struggles with poverty among farmers and inequality in land ownership. This situation calls for addressing unsuitable agricultural land and implementing rigorous verification processes to safeguard ownership rights.
Looking ahead, Dr. Nipon suggested that the new government prioritize developing flood forecasting models in high-risk areas within the first 1-2 years. This would involve installing water monitoring stations in key flood-prone locations and collaborating with universities to create accurate flood forecasting models for various regions. In the subsequent 2-4 years, he advised learning from the 2025 Hat Yai floods to restructure flood management, focusing on prevention, emergency response, recovery, reconstruction, and disaster risk reduction, including the promotion of disaster insurance to mitigate compensation costs.