Fury grows over stalled ฿1,000-per-rai rice aid as Pheu Thai targets two deputy premiers. Songkram claims Finance Minister Ekniti said farmer support was ineffective because agriculture accounts for only 8% of GDP as production costs soar.
A bitter row over Thailand’s struggling rice farmers has broken out after Pheu Thai accused two deputy prime ministers of stalling ฿1,000-per-rai aid. Former Deputy Commerce Minister Songkram Kitlertpairoj targeted Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas. Crucially, Songkram claimed Ekniti argued that helping farmers was ineffective because agriculture generates only 8% of GDP. He countered that 23 million farmers depend on the sector. Meanwhile, aid worth up to ฿20,000 per farmer remains short of Cabinet approval as another production cycle begins.
Pheu Thai has accused two senior economic ministers of stalling ฿1,000-per-rai assistance for Thailand’s struggling rice farmers. The attack came after the agricultural side approved support for the coming production cycle. Yet the proposal has still not reached the Cabinet.
Former Deputy Commerce Minister Songkram Kitlertpairoj launched the broadside on September 24. The former Samut Prakan MP said farmers had complained directly about sharply rising production costs. Fuel, fertiliser, and transportation costs rose sharply this year. Meanwhile, he said government support remained unclear.
According to Songkram, financial pressure is now changing decisions across farming communities. Many farmers have become discouraged after continuing losses. More seriously, several families want to abandon agriculture altogether. In some areas, he said farmers had already erected signs offering their land for sale.
Pheu Thai presses for ฿1,000-per-rai aid after rice production panel approves support for farmers
Against that backdrop, Pheu Thai is pressing for payments of ฿1,000 per rai. The proposed support would cover up to 20 rai for each eligible farmer. Therefore, the maximum payment would reach ฿20,000.
The money would come through the rice breeding improvement project, according to Songkram. Importantly, he described it as initial capital for the next rice production cycle. Farmers could use the assistance as they prepare their livelihoods and operations for another crop.
The proposal cleared a significant hurdle last week. Songkram said the National Rice Policy Committee’s production subcommittee approved the measure. Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit chairs the production panel. However, further action required before Cabinet consideration has not followed.
The delay is particularly sensitive because farmers are already entering another production period. Earlier this month, agricultural officials said the 2026/27 main rice harvest season was beginning. Separately, the Agriculture Ministry was preparing measures for farmers during the new production year.
Songkram blames Suphajee for stalled rice aid as Cabinet submission fails to move forward for farmers
Songkram said the new assistance had repeatedly been expected to reach Cabinet. Nevertheless, no final submission followed. Pheu Thai will now closely monitor the measure, he said.
At the centre of his attack is Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun. She chairs the National Rice Policy Committee’s marketing division. Songkram claimed Suphajee had refused to convene that committee. He directly linked the failure to meet with the stalled Cabinet submission.
“The reason this matter wasn’t brought before the Cabinet meeting is because Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, Ms. Suphajee Suthumpun, in her capacity as Chair of the National Rice Policy Committee’s Marketing Division, refused to convene the committee,” Songkram said.
On another front, Songkram targeted Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapha. His criticism focused on Ekniti’s reported assessment of financial support for farmers. Songkram cited an interview concerning agriculture’s contribution to the Thai economy.
“Furthermore, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Mr. Ekniti Nitithanprapas, clearly stated in an interview that helping farmers would be ineffective because the agricultural sector only accounts for 8% of the country’s GDP,” Songkram said. “Therefore, assistance for farmers has been consistently delayed.”
Ekniti’s approach to farm support draws fire as Songkram points to 23 million farmers nationwide
Notably, Ekniti had separately raised questions over the design of agricultural assistance for the 2026/27 production year. He said spending under Section 28 should increase farmers’ capabilities rather than simply distribute money. At that stage, the new ฿1,000-per-rai measure was still under consideration.
Songkram challenged the argument based on agriculture’s relatively small share of GDP. Instead, he pointed to the number of people dependent on the sector. He said more than 23 million farmers nationwide were waiting for assistance.
“I want to emphasise that even though the GDP is low, over 23 million farmers nationwide are waiting for this assistance,” Songkram said. “If farmers have income, it can contribute to sustainable economic growth for the country.”
He then sharpened his criticism of the government’s approach. “Those in power should find ways to help, rather than devaluing farmers as reported in the news,” Songkram said. He added that doing otherwise offered the country no benefit.
Bhumjaithai MPs join pressure over rice aid as 233,729 households still await previous support payments
In parallel, pressure over rice assistance is coming from outside Pheu Thai. Two Bhumjaithai MPs raised the issue in Parliament on September 24. They sought clarity as farmers faced high fertiliser, fuel, seed and labour costs. Some areas had also suffered flooding and damaged rice crops.
The current dispute also sits alongside unfinished payments from the previous production year. That is a separate programme from the proposed 2026/27 assistance now under discussion. The distinction is important because both involve payments described as ฿1,000 per rai.
For 2025/26, officials approved additional funding for farmers who had missed earlier payments. The Agriculture Ministry put that group at 233,729 households. The additional funding requirement was ฿1.84696 billion. Under that programme, assistance was capped at 10 rai per household.
Earlier, Suriya said that the outstanding measure was ready for Cabinet consideration. However, it was absent from the September 22 Cabinet agenda. Suriya said Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul was overseas and wanted to consider the matter personally.
New rice aid proposal would double eligible land to 20 rai as Pheu Thai targets economic ministers
The latest Pheu Thai attack concerns the next production year and a different proposed ceiling. Songkram cited ฿1,000 per rai for up to 20 rai. That would double the maximum eligible land area compared with the outstanding 2025/26 programme.
For farmers, the new formula is straightforward. Five rai would generate ฿5,000, while ten rai would produce ฿10,000. At 20 rai, the payment would reach the ฿20,000 ceiling. Beyond that acreage, no additional payment would be available under the proposal.
At present, however, farmers have no approved Cabinet payment under that new formula. The production side has moved, while Songkram says the marketing side remains stalled. Consequently, Pheu Thai has shifted responsibility directly towards the government’s commerce and finance leadership.
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The dispute now leaves two rice assistance issues moving through government at the same time. One concerns ฿1.84696 billion for 233,729 households left out of the previous programme. The other concerns fresh support for the 2026/27 production cycle.
For Songkram, the immediate fight is over the second measure. Farmers face higher input costs while preparing for another cycle, he said. Yet the proposed ฿1,000-per-rai assistance remains short of Cabinet consideration.
Pheu Thai has now promised to keep watch on the process. Meanwhile, Songkram has named Suphajee and Ekniti as the ministers he holds responsible for the delay. The next move rests with the rice policy machinery and, ultimately, the Cabinet.
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