When the government pays almost 50 per cent more than the domestic market price for "every single grain" farmers produce, they naturally pump farm chemicals into their paddy fields to push up yields and grow as much rice as they can. Not Somboon Daeng-aroon, however.
Neighbours say he's crazy. But Mr Somboon believes he's saving the world along with his fellow farmers.
The 59-year-old from Samut Songkhram's Praeg Nam Daeng sub-district is using his 40 rai of paddy fields to prove how organic rice farming can significantly cut production costs, save the environment, and boost the health of farmers.
"High rice prices are definitely good," he said. "Yet it's meaningless if production costs still rise no end and when toxic farm chemicals are cutting short farmers' lives and destroying the environment."
"But farmers don't want to take the risk of going organic. Someone must. So I'm doing it for them."
What Mr Somboon is doing goes against the fierce tide of the rice mortgage programme which pays farmers much higher than domestic and international market values. So far, the programme has cost taxpayers more than 200 billion baht, with an estimated loss of 100 billion baht.
Economists and the rice industry have lambasted this financially unsustainable pledging scheme for destroying the country's rice exports, depleting the national coffers, and creating corruption at every level of the scheme.
Yet the government is vowing to push ahead with this populist programme that has made Thailand the laughing stock of the international rice trade.
But Mr Somboon has different concerns.
"I'm worried about the future of Thai farmers," he said.
Most farmers like the present rice mortgage scheme because it gives them the extra income they badly need after suffering from last year's devastating floods, he said.
"But how long can this support last? What will happen afterward? I can only foresee endless protests ahead because farmers won't accept lower rice prices."
Giving only money to farmers also in the end actually weakens them, he noted. "We'll only ask for state help instead of trying to find ways to improve how we do things.
"I'm also worried for nature," he said.
The paddy pledging scheme has triggered a mad rush to expand paddy fields and boost crop yields by increasing the use of toxic farm chemicals that destroy the environment and farmers' health.
Looming on the horizon are also expensive food prices since many fruit and vegetables, as well as fish and prawn farmers, have shifted to rice growing to cash in on the rice programme. Another threat is from pests which normally follow large-scale mono cash crop plantations.
Organic rice farming is the way to go, he believes. So is the use of indigenous rice varieties that are resistant to extreme weather that comes with climate change.
Ironically, any progress made in organic rice farming has been undermined by the paddy pledging scheme as many organic rice farmers have returned to conventional farming of rice to get a much higher price from the government.
But unrealistic price measures are not sustainable, he warned. "What farmers need is knowledge to cut rice production costs, improve rice quality, and increase the lifespan of organic rice so we can expand our markets."
When state commitment to research is lacking, Mr Somboon has decided to do it himself.
At present, the yields from his organic paddy fields are about 20% less than conventional rice farming, but this is offset by far lower production costs. He's planning to reduce these further by experimenting with a new method of planting which would reduce the saplings six-fold.
He is also experimenting with many indigenous rice varieties that are resistant to floods.
With a group of like-minded farmers, Mr Somboon has set up a community rice mill to serve organic rice farmers and small farmers who want to eat the rice they grow. At present, the big rice mills refuse to polish rice for them because the amounts are too small.
"We farmers must aim to cut costs, protect the environment, our health, and be self-reliant," he said. "And if the government isn't doing this for us, we must do it ourselves."
Sanitsuda Ekachai is Assistant Editor, Bangkok Post.