Fight against the price crisis: Farmers demand rice aid in parliament!

Fight against the price crisis: Farmers demand rice aid in parliament!

The situation for rice farmers in Thailand is worrying, and this was made clear in Parliament on October 22, 2025. Dr. Phrae MP Niyom Wiwattharathakoon has called on the government to take urgent measures to combat falling glutinous rice prices, which are particularly affecting farmers in the Rongkwang region. The price of glutinous rice is currently below 7 baht per kilogram, often between 6 and 6.90 baht, resulting in heavy losses for farmers. Crop fluctuations and market prices make life difficult for many of them.

This issue not only affects producers in Rongkwang, but is a nationwide phenomenon. There is a total of about 14 million rai of rice acreage in Thailand, with northern Thailand alone accounting for 2.6 million rai. With a total annual production of around 6.7 million tonnes, farmers are not only confronted with inherently variable yields, but also with increasing operating costs.

Political reactions and measures

To respond to the alarming situation, farmers from Phrae Province submitted a petition to the governor on October 20, 2025. They demand support in this critical phase. In addition, Dr. Niyom held a press conference on the same day to address the plight of farmers and hand over a petition to Deputy Speaker Chaiya Phromar. This proactive stance shows that farmers and their representatives have a knack for mobilizing support.

In response to the ongoing challenges, the Thai government approved 114 billion baht in relief measures for rice farmers on August 19, 2025. These measures include two key programs to support farmers, particularly in times of falling rice prices. The first part is direct payments of 1,000 baht per rai, up to a maximum of ten rai per household. This support is aimed at farmers particularly under pressure in the 2025 secondary crop and the 2025/2026 main crop, with a total of 7.28 billion baht for the secondary crop and about 37.9 billion baht for the main crop.

Loan programs and long-term solutions

Additionally, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, นาย نเรศ ธำรงทิพยคุณ, announced a meeting to implement measures to stabilize rice prices. Several projects were approved in this session, including a loan program to delay the sale of rice, targeting 133 cooperatives and agricultural groups from 37 provinces. A total of over 7,600 million baht has been earmarked for this project, which aims to support approximately 763,819 tonnes of rice.

Additionally, an interest compensation program will be introduced for rice storage companies to promote liquidity. Through these measures, the government plans to ensure stability in the rice market and provide relief to farmers at a time when they are already suffering from the pressure of future harvest seasons.

The challenges facing rice farmers are many, but with the combination of emergency aid and strategic credit measures, the government is demonstrating a commitment to stabilizing the market. The question remains how effective these measures will ultimately be in averting the existential crisis facing farmers in Thailand. In these uncertain times, the hope remains that a good hand in supporting rice producers will continue to be shown in the future.