Land for Thai poor
programme set for launch
Targets energy crops
By Jon Fernquest
Poor
people in Thailand will soon be able to lease farm land at a
low price from the government. After a year of preparation a special land lease programme was launched this month.
The project got to off to a bad start last year when the military refused to participate and hand over land to the project (Read article).
The project looks like it will be successful now.
Today's article provides the details:
AGRICULTURE
Land lease plan to foster energy crops
Wichit Chantanusornsiri - 26/09/2009While critics of the government may decry its land-lease programme as blatant populism, the goals outlined are noble enough.
Take 1 million rai of public land now laying fallow and lease it out to poor farmers at a token rate. The farmers will be encouraged to produce energy crops to support the country's nascent alternative energy industry, and what earnings they make will be their own.
decry Y - strongly
criticise Y, find big problems with Y
lease land - rent land
blatant - very easy to see (in a bad sort of way, for example: blatant favouritism)
populism - government policies that claim to help the poor (whether they actually do or not is a big question)
outlined - explained in a general sort of way
noble - right because based on high moral principles
noble goals, goals are noble enough - highly moral goals
fallow - land plowed but without planting, land allowed to rest between growing crops (See Wikipedia on crop rotation)
land laying fallow - land not planted with crops
token Y - Y is not really meaningful, just shows that something was done
token rate - pay a small amount of money (to show that you did pay something)
nascent - still very young and not fully developed (like a baby just born)
nascent alternative energy industry - an energy for alternative energy (solar power, wind power, energy from crops) that is still just starting for the first time
lease land - rent land
blatant - very easy to see (in a bad sort of way, for example: blatant favouritism)
populism - government policies that claim to help the poor (whether they actually do or not is a big question)
outlined - explained in a general sort of way
noble - right because based on high moral principles
noble goals, goals are noble enough - highly moral goals
fallow - land plowed but without planting, land allowed to rest between growing crops (See Wikipedia on crop rotation)
land laying fallow - land not planted with crops
token Y - Y is not really meaningful, just shows that something was done
token rate - pay a small amount of money (to show that you did pay something)
nascent - still very young and not fully developed (like a baby just born)
nascent alternative energy industry - an energy for alternative energy (solar power, wind power, energy from crops) that is still just starting for the first time
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who formally launched the lease programme this month, wants all 1 million rai to be allocated by 2012. To date, 35,000 rai have been leased, with another 200,000 to be awarded by the year-end.
Poor households will be offered three-year leases for up to 15 rai of land.
Annual lease rates are set at 20 to 50 baht per rai, and farmers must pledge to use the land for agriculture only.
The government will invest in supporting infrastructure as part of the "Thailand: Investing from Strength to Strength" programme, including irrigation networks and roads.
The idea of leasing public land, initiated under the Samak Sundaravej government, has several key objectives, starting with helping the rural poor and creating jobs during the recession.
pledge - promise
supporting infrastructure - basic services like water, electricity, and roads necessary for living and doing business
Thailand: Investing from Strength to Strength - the official English name of Thailand's second stage fiscal stimulus programme
irrigation networks - the canals and reservoirs and other ways of moving water to farmers for their crops
initiated - started
supporting infrastructure - basic services like water, electricity, and roads necessary for living and doing business
Thailand: Investing from Strength to Strength - the official English name of Thailand's second stage fiscal stimulus programme
irrigation networks - the canals and reservoirs and other ways of moving water to farmers for their crops
initiated - started
Authorities hope that farmers in the programme will focus on energy crops such as palm to help support the growing demand for ethanol and biofuels, raise the value and productivity of public land and support development of the country's agricultural sector.
The Treasury Department, which manages the country's public properties and assets, is working with the Agricultural Ministry to identify what crops are most suitable for individual land plots to be leased under the programme.
Prasit Suebchana, deputy director-general of the Treasury Department, said land in the southern provinces, for instance, had a high potential for growing palm trees, while sugar cane was suitable for the central plains given the plentiful availability of water.
"For the northeastern provinces, tapioca is probably the most suitable crop," he said.
energy crops -
ethanol - the most widely used renewable biofuel today. Ethanol is made by converting starch crops into sugars, the sugars are fermented into ethanol which is then distilled into its final form (See Wikipedia on ethanol fuel)
biofuel crops - agrcultural crops that can be used for fuel and energy (See Wikipedia)
raise the productivity of land - producing more crops from the land
land plots - pieces of land
palm oil - an edible plant oil used in cooking and also to make biodiesel fuel for cars (See Wikipedia)
palm trees - the trees that palm oil comes from
sugar cane - the tall plants that are one source for sugar, sugar beets are another source (See Wikipedia)tapioca - a flavourless starchy food ingredient used in cooking produced from dried cassava (manioc) root, used to make a milky pudding (See Wikipedia on tapioca)
cassava - a woody shrubgrown in tropical regions for its root which is starchy, can be eaten, and has a lot of carbohydrates (also known as: manioc, yuca) (See Wikipedia on cassava and Wikimedia photos)
starch - a type of energy giving food group that includes bread, potatoes, pasta, and rice
ethanol - the most widely used renewable biofuel today. Ethanol is made by converting starch crops into sugars, the sugars are fermented into ethanol which is then distilled into its final form (See Wikipedia on ethanol fuel)
biofuel crops - agrcultural crops that can be used for fuel and energy (See Wikipedia)
raise the productivity of land - producing more crops from the land
land plots - pieces of land
palm oil - an edible plant oil used in cooking and also to make biodiesel fuel for cars (See Wikipedia)
palm trees - the trees that palm oil comes from
sugar cane - the tall plants that are one source for sugar, sugar beets are another source (See Wikipedia)tapioca - a flavourless starchy food ingredient used in cooking produced from dried cassava (manioc) root, used to make a milky pudding (See Wikipedia on tapioca)
cassava - a woody shrubgrown in tropical regions for its root which is starchy, can be eaten, and has a lot of carbohydrates (also known as: manioc, yuca) (See Wikipedia on cassava and Wikimedia photos)
starch - a type of energy giving food group that includes bread, potatoes, pasta, and rice
Seed-capital
The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Co-operatives will help provide seed capital for farmers leasing public land.Ennoo Suesuwan, the BAAC acting president, said most of the programme's participants were likely to be existing customers of the state bank.
"If any need additional funds to invest in energy crops, the BAAC is ready to assist. The price trend for biofuels and energy crops is quite positive," he said.
The BAAC launched a campaign two years ago to encourage farmers to shift toward growing energy crops, such as sugar cane, tapioca and palm. The bank has lent 10 billion baht to date under the programme, with loan growth increasing by about 10% per year.
Bank
for Agriculture and Agricultural Co-operatives (BAAC) -
Thai government bank specialising in microfinance and banking for
farming households (See website,
a case study [pdf],
at the FAO)
seed capital - money used to start a new business
acting president - the person who is currently working as president of a company (may be temporary)
price trend - the general direction that prices are moving in
seed capital - money used to start a new business
acting president - the person who is currently working as president of a company (may be temporary)
price trend - the general direction that prices are moving in
(Source: Bangkok Post, Land lease plan to foster energy crops, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, 26/09/2009, link)
