Bangkok: The Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT) has approved a 2.8 billion baht budget to assist rubber farmers in cutting down and replanting trees, with payments set to commence on August 1st.
According to Thai News Agency, the RAOT has set aside this substantial budget to support farmers who have already applied for their own rubber tree felling, offering them 16,000 baht per rai. This financial support aims to ease the process for rubber farmers who have decided to replant their trees using their own resources prior to receiving formal approval.
Dr. Pik Lertwangpong, Acting Governor of the RAOT, highlighted that a significant number of rubber farmers have submitted applications for replanting and are awaiting approval. The RAOT has been actively processing these applications, ensuring that those who intend to fell and replant using their own funds are accommodated. The plan is to complete the felling and replanting by the fiscal year 2025, with 36,283 farmers having submitted their applications covering an area of 346,685.90 rai. The approved budget of 2,860,431,552.20 baht will support these efforts.
Mr. Jirawit Meechuphan, Director of the Production Promotion and Development Department, stated that the RAOT will start disbursing the funds from August 1, 2025, and aim to complete payments by September 15, 2025. Farmers are encouraged to apply for financial support at their nearest RAOT provincial office or branch. This initiative is part of the RAOT's broader strategy to reduce the cost of replanting rubber trees and to provide revolving funds, enabling farmers to manage their rubber plantations more efficiently.