Last week, the National Environment Board (NEB) approved an environment policy that, if implemented, can tackle PM2.5 at a fundamental level.
The good agricultural practice "GAP PM 2.5" proposes creating farming zones to prevent farmers from conducting "open burning" during harvest time. It is one of the two chief causes, along with forest fires, of PM2.5 pollution, especially in rural areas.
Farmers often set fires to do away with farm waste. Sugar cane farmers even set fire to the whole farm area to make sugar cane easier to cut. The GAP PM 2.5 measure was proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives as a pilot scheme. It is hoped that the government and NEB will fast-track the implementation of GAP PM 2.5 sooner rather than later. Indeed, consumer groups and environmentalists have for several years demanded the government develop mechanisms to create zero-burning of farm products.
It cannot go without saying that there has been fear among ministries, some local business groups, and farmers still tethered to unsustainable farming practices that zero-burning is impossible and will affect business. That fear is a myth that prevents businesses and farmers from engaging in sustainable farming. Indeed, there are plenty of good examples of businesses and investors using GAP to solve air pollution.
Look no further than our neighbours. To reduce haze from palm oil plantations in Southeast Asia, major palm oil trading nations -- Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia worked together to create a sustainable palm oil scheme. Under this scheme, investors in public companies on the stock market will be required to purchase and do business with green and sustainable suppliers. Another good example is Bon Sucro -- the global sustainability platform and standard for sugarcane. The scheme creates traceability through an audit system which records the issuance of certificates of approval to responsible sugarcane plantations. With these projects, consumers and society will have the choice to patronise farm products that are not obtained through environmentally destructive measures such as open burning.
Indeed, Thai farm companies are already walking on that path. On Monday, Chiang Mai province and maize farm companies launched "Partner to Green". The scheme will promote maize products sustainably and not using open burning. The scheme was created to deal with PM2.5 in particular.
It is reported that PM2.5 in the northern region comes from opening burning on maize farms that supply products to the agro-industry and feedstock. It goes without saying that a major partner in this project is BKP, a subsidiary of agro-titan Charoen Phokphand. When Charoen Phokphand moves, it means everyone in the sector moves.
Now, it depends on responsible ministries -- such as the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the Agriculture Ministry and the Commerce Ministry to pick up and run with the NEB's approved solution and make it popular with all farmers.
The government needs to set a clear timeframe, action plans and targets to make Thailand's agricultural products, as well as Thai investors' investments in farm projects in neighbouring countries "zero-burning" and free of activities that will cause PM2/5 air pollution. Without commitment, the NEB's GAP PM2.5 will be put on ice and left to linger somewhere in the cold storage of our bureaucracy.