Thai Parliament Questions Agriculture Ministry Budget, Citing Redundant Spending and Lack of Transparency

The Thai Parliament is currently deliberating the FY2570 budget bill, totaling 3.78 trillion baht. During the session, the opposition "People's Party" has raised significant concerns regarding the budget allocation by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, pointing to inefficiencies and redundant investments, and calling for budget cuts and revisions. Natcha Boonchaiyasawad, a party-list MP for the People's Party, criticized the Department of Fisheries' budget of 4.8 billion baht, noting that half of it was allocated to personnel costs, while the remainder, 229.32 million baht (34.39 million baht in the first year), was earmarked for the construction of an "Aquatic Animal Exhibition Center" in Udon Thani province. He questioned the necessity of such a facility in the minister's home province, citing past similar projects and sarcastically referring to it as a "Minister's Miracle Center." He also highlighted that this project takes precedence over urgent measures to address the severe catfish disease crisis. Chayapon Sorndee, an MP for Bangkok from the same party, proposed cutting the budget for the purchase of two weather radar stations by the Bureau of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation in Udon Thani and Phimai district, Nakhon Ratchasima, totaling 960 million baht. He argued that this spending is redundant, as the Thai Meteorological Department already operates 12 stations nationwide, and the Bureau of Royal Rainmaking itself has nine stations with overlapping coverage. He advocated for policy coordination and joint utilization of existing radar databases among agencies, rather than acquiring new equipment without a thorough necessity analysis. Narongdet Ularakul, a committee member from the People's Party, criticized the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE) for presenting corn production cost figures that are lower than actual costs. This discrepancy, he explained, has delayed the announcement of the buying price for the 2569/2570 corn season by three months, forcing farmers to sell their harvested produce at prices dictated by traders. He pointed out that the OAE's estimated cost per kilogram is 7.03 baht, which is lower than the previous year, despite increased costs for fuel, fertilizer, and the El Niño phenomenon. The Farmers' Council estimates the actual cost at 7,098 baht per rai, significantly higher than the OAE's figure. Furthermore, he noted that the OAE's Big Data/GIS system did not initially cover feed corn, and a substantial portion of the OAE's budget is spent on seminars for officials, with minimal farmer participation. He urged the OAE to review its processes to genuinely benefit farmers. These criticisms underscore growing public concern in Thailand regarding the transparency and efficiency of public spending, as well as the effectiveness of support measures for farmers.