Dollars in the paddies

Local News

AGRICULTURE

DSI probes foreign money in paddies

Published: 6/08/2009 at 12:00 AM

Farmers from Nakhon Pathom will submit evidence to the Department of Special Investigation today to support claims foreign investors are illegally acquiring paddy fields through Thai nominees.

The move comes as the DSI looks into a report that foreigners are buying and leasing land for rice farming with the help of nominee companies.

The action violates the law which allows only joint ventures between foreigners and Thais to operate farm businesses.

· See our editorial:Worse worries than land grab

But the report needs to be examined to answer questions over the alleged land acquisitions which have been deemed as causing "enormous damage" to farmers, Thai Farmers Association president Prasit Boonchoey said.

A DSI source said the agency had sent an investigative team to Ayutthaya, a rice-growing province in the Central Plain.

The DSI expected its investigation to take about two weeks. If it uncovered illegal acts, the agency would inspect paddy fields in other regions, he said.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he had asked the Commerce Ministry to look into the allegations. Farming is reserved for Thais only, he said.

Meanwhile, rice farmers in Ayutthaya's Bang Ban, Sena and Phak Hai districts have decided to leave their farms after their attempts to ask a landlord to extend their leases failed, said Somjit Jankaew, 55, a farmer from Lat Bua Luang district.

They are among 80 farmers whose rental period expired after being allowed to farm on more than 5,000 rai, owned by a private company, for more than 10 years.

A company representative said it had no policy to renew the farming period but would help farmers by allowing them two years to leave, one year more than required by law, Mr Somjit said.

"The farmers are now divided," Mr Somjit said. "One still goes ahead with their request while the other gives up."

Those who are still confident about their effort to stay on the land have asked Ayutthaya's state attorney office to help them negotiate with the company to give them four more years of farming.

If the company does not change its policy, the farmers would leave, Mr Somjit said. Many rice farmers enter into "unofficial contracts", requiring no documents, with landlords.

(www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/21538/dsi-probes-foreign-money-in-paddies)

Traditional Thai Farming

 

In the past, the number of water buffalo a farmer had was an indication of wealth and the water buffalo was considered a farmer's best friend. Large numbers of them could be seen wallowing in the mud at the edge of paddy fields. But with the invention of diesel plows and tractors, uses for the animal have been on the decline -- until now. 

Water buffaloes cost about $400-$500 each, and are a cheap alternative to diesel ploughs. But both farmers and water buffaloes are out of practice. 

Young farmers like Supat Langboon have little experience using farm animals in the fields and the farm animals themselves are confused as to why they are in a rice field attached to a plough. 

But even though water buffalo are more difficult to control than tractors, Supat is not giving up. 

[Supat Langboon, Farmer]:

"I would like to try to use a water buffalo to pull the plough because petrol is very expensive." 

Supat's uncle, 73-year-old farmer Tawan Panyaharn, is teaching both man and beast to work together and progress is slow. 

[Tawan Panyaharn, Farmer]:

"My relatives do not know how to train a buffalo how to plough. Sometimes, I have to step in and train them myself. I can get the buffalo to pull the plough within a few days." 

Rice production is the main source of income for rural families in the northeast. Thailand is one of the world's biggest rice producers and exporters. Some 10 million hectares of rice is grown in the country. Half of that is located in the country's northeast.  

 

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