Bangkok: The Royal Ploughing Ceremony of 2568, held on Friday, May 9th, at the Sanam Luang Ceremonial Ground, has predicted a prosperous year for Thailand's agriculture and economy. Presided over by His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen, the event followed traditional rituals intended to bring encouragement to farmers nationwide as they embark on a new growing season. According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Prayoon Insakul, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, assumed the role of the first ploughman. During the ceremony, he selected a 5-cubit-long piece of cloth, which the royal astrologer interpreted as a sign of adequate water levels, promising a bountiful harvest of rice seedlings and an abundance of food and meat. The divination also involved offering seven food items to the ceremonial oxen, which chose to consume water, grass, and liquor. This choice was taken as an omen of sufficient water supply, abundant grain, and improved transportation, suggesting that trad e with foreign countries would flourish and, consequently, the Thai economy would prosper. The Royal Ploughing Ceremony, rooted in ancient royal traditions, serves to uplift the spirits of Thai farmers, providing them with hope and motivation at the start of the planting season.
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