Cabinet allocates 23 billion baht to improve farmers’ life

BANGKOK, July 5 (TNA) – The cabinet endorsed a 22.89-billion-baht budget to develop farmers’ livelihoods through the 9101 project to follow King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s initiatives. Nathaporn Jatusripitak, advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office Minister, said that out of the fund, 2.5 million baht would reach each of 9,101 communities where there were 4.5 million farmers and the money would be spent on the production of plants and organic fertilizers, pest control, community farms, food production, farm produce processing, livestock, fishery and soil improvement among others. To have access to the fund, farmers must form a group of at least ten to implement their development projects in the above-mentioned fields and each project must benefit at least 500 people. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives will consider farmers’ project proposals. The implementation was set from May to December and the government expected the fund to support production, marketing and job creation. The cabinet also approved the ministry’s proposal on another farmer support plan to serve the farmers who grow rice and organic plants under the government’s project to promote large-scaled farmland nationwide. The government will arrange for soft loans and buy some yields to attract farmers’ participation. (TNA)