BAAC to push for new rice planting system to reduce costs and boost production

BANGKOK, 4 June 2010 (NNT) — The state-run Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Co-operatives (BAAC) is promoting a new rice planting system among farmers to reduce their costs and boost the productivity.

The technique will facilitate rice processing to increase the value of crops and support development of a sustainable rice market, the BAAC Manager Lak Wachananwat said after attending the recent rice harvesting festivity in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province.

The new planting system has been conducted on a pilot basis at the Bang Pa Han district in Ayutthaya province. The technique involves throwing rice saplings into the fields, instead of pressing them with hands onto the prepared plantations. Out of the 13 farmers taking part in the pilot project covering a 327-rai plot of land, 11 have produced over 150,000 tons of qualified seeds, and they could earn six thousand baht higher for each ton of the seeds.

Farmers who have unqualified seeds can still sell their products to local markets. The seeds can be milled or processed into flour or other products to increase their income, Mr Lak said.

According to Mr Lak, the main problem of farmers in Ayutthaya is that there is low demand for brown rice amid the high costs of production. This is due to the lack of quality seeds and the use of pesticides to prevent disease has made the production lower and put a lot of farmers into the cycle of debts.