The cabinet has approved a rice insurance scheme for the 2019 season worth 1.74 billion baht, aiming to cover 30 million rai of farmland.
The scheme, operated by the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), covers six types of natural disaster -- floods, drought, storms, cold, hail and fires.
Nathporn Chatusripitak, a spokesman to the deputy prime minister who oversees economic affairs, said the scheme is scheduled to start from April 1, charging an insurance premium of 85 baht per rai, with the government subsidising 51 baht and farmers required to pay 34 baht.
The cabinet on Monday also acknowledged that last year's rice insurance scheme was successful. Almost 27 million rai of farmland, host to 1.92 million farmers, was insured for the 2018 crop year, or 82% of the scheme's target.
The cabinet also approved 121.8 million baht for a maize insurance scheme this year, covering 3 million rai.
Participating farmers will be charged an insurance premium of 59 baht per rai, with the government paying 35.40 baht per rai as a subsidy, and farmers paying 23.60 baht per rai.
On Monday, the cabinet ordered the Interior Ministry to support and promote each province to develop geographical indication (GI) products to generate community income and add value to local products.
Each province is required to establish a working committee to handle promotion and development.
GI is a distinctive certificate used to identify a product as originating in the territory of a particular country, region or locality that specific quality, reputation or from which other characteristics originate and are unique.
These unique characteristics and quality are expected to increase market value in developed countries.
The Commerce Ministry through the Intellectual Property Department has already approved GI certificates for 103 indigenous products in 67 provinces.
The government aims to raise sales from GI products to more than 30 billion baht over the next five years, while ramping up linking GI locations to tourism schemes.
GI product sales topped 4 billion baht last year, up from 3.7 billion in 2017.
Thailand has GI registration in the EU for Thung Kula Rong Hai hom mali rice, Doi Chaang and Doi Tung coffee, and Sangyod Muang Phatthalung rice, while in India and Indonesia it has registered Lamphun brocade Thai silk. Isan indigenous Thai silk yarn has GI registration in Vietnam.
Thailand has already filed GI applications in China for Thung Kula Rong Hai hom mali rice, Phetchabun sweet tamarind and Tubtim Siam Pak Phanang pomelo. For Japan, Thailand has filed for GI registration of Doi Tung and Doi Chaang coffee, and Uttaradit's Hauymon pineapple.
It also filed and is awaiting registration confirmation in Vietnam of Phetchabun sweet tamarind and Lamphun golden dried longan. The same process is taking place for Doi Tung coffee in Cambodia.
There are 16 foreign products GI registered in Thailand, mostly from Italy, Vietnam and France. Nine applications are pending for foreign products such as grapes from California, Pisco brandy from Chile, grana padano and asiago cheeses from Italy, and Kobe beef from Japan.