Thailand’s unmilled rice production from the 2014/2015 main crop is estimated at 27.1 million tonnes, a by 0.06% increase from the previous season, the Office of Agriculture and Economics said.
Overall rice plantations in the season have been declining since institution of a state policy to discourage farmers from growing several crops a year for fear of water shortages, especially in irrigated areas. The country has around 65 million rai of plantation area.
Falling rice prices also turned farmers to other crops, according to OAE secretary-general Lersak Riewtrakulpaibul.
Farmers earned an average 7,862 and 7,878 baht a tonne of paddy in November and December, when a large amount of paddy entered the market. The figures were lower than the average of 8,130 baht farmers received from selling paddy last year.
OAE reports that, since the start of the season in October, about 25.5 million tonnes of paddy were harvested, accounting for 94% of the total production.