Bangkok: The first batch of funds under the 1,000 baht per rai initiative has been successfully transferred to farmers via bank accounts, as announced by Deputy Finance Minister Chulaphan Amornvivat. This initiative, decided by the Cabinet two weeks ago, aims to support production factors for rice farmers in both dry and wet seasons.
According to Thai News Agency, on the night of September 1st, the government transferred a total of 6.28 billion baht to 769,461 farmers nationwide, specifically targeting those involved in dry-season rice cultivation. The transfer process is scheduled to continue for the dry-season rice group from September 2nd to 4th. On September 2nd, 2.459 billion baht will be allocated to over 286,000 farmers in the Northern region. The following day, September 3rd, 10.586 billion baht is set to be transferred to 1.291 million farmers in the Northeast. On the final day, September 4th, 1.254 billion baht will be distributed to the remaining 137,000 farmers across other regions. In total, the project will reach 2.485 million beneficiaries, with a budget of 20.58 billion baht.
It is worth noting that over 20 billion baht is still pending allocation, awaiting verification by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Farmers yet to receive their registration are advised to contact their district office and district agricultural office to ensure their names are properly registered. This will facilitate the Ministry of Agriculture’s ability to forward the names to the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) for swift processing.
Deputy Finance Minister Chulaphan clarified that the funds are being transferred directly to bank accounts rather than through a government app, due to the large number of participants-approximately 4 million people. Recognizing that some individuals may not be technologically equipped, the decision was made to postpone the use of the app to ensure timely delivery of assistance. Mr. Chulaphan assured that every baht and satang is being deposited directly into the farmers’ accounts.
In his statement, Mr. Chulaphan extended his congratulations to the farmers and emphasized the government’s commitment to addressing their challenges and providing necessary support.