The Finance Ministry has announced a policy to allot 260,000 rai of state land to low-income individuals and farmers at minimal rental rates.
Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul said the state land would be rented out to 1,910 individuals in nine pilot provinces for housing and agricultural purposes.
The provinces covered in the pilot phase are Nakhon Ratchasima, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Phanom, Kalasin, Pattani, Ratchaburi and Surat Thani.
A total of 7,380 rai of land will be rented out to the target groups and the policy is expected to be implemented within six months, he said.
To be eligible, prospective tenants must have been residents or farmers on the state land prior to Oct 4, 2003, and must not already have a land lease agreement with the Treasury Department.
A survey by the department in 2023 discovered squatters were residing on state land covering 900,000 rai in total.
The department organised lease agreements for 300,000 rai of the total, with the remaining 600,000 rai going through due diligence in terms of lease agreements.
The department is setting rents at a minimal rate, aiming to make them affordable for prospective residents, said Mr Paopoom.
For housing, the rate is 1 satang per square metre per month for residences not exceeding 100 sq m, and 50 satang per sq m per month for residences larger than 100 sq m.
For agricultural purposes, the lease rate is 20 baht per rai per month for land not exceeding 50 rai, and 30 baht per rai per month for land covering an area greater than 50 rai.
The department stipulated the duration of the lease agreement is a minimum of three years and a maximum of 30 years.
However, the longer the lease term, the higher the fee for the lease agreement.
The department plans to rent out state land to at least 2,000 low-income individuals and farmers per year.
