Military Land Lease for Landless Farmers

UDON THANI, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin kicked off the 'Nong Wua So' model to hand over state-owned land lease contracts to more than 430 farmers in the northeastern province of Udon Thani. The project is the urgent policy of his government to lease the unused military land, actually belonging to the Finance Ministry's Treasury Department to farmers at low cost. At the ceremony to hand over the long-term land lease rights to farmer, the Prime Minister said he felt honored to distribute land to farmers for use to make a living. Since the first day in office, he has discussed with army commanders and the Minister of Defense, the desire to allocate land for agricultural purposes to the people. Within just 4-5 months, the army has worked swiftly, benefiting over 500 families, and this effort will continue. The next areas targeted are Nakhon Phanom, Samut Prakan, and Kanchanaburi provinces, with the Navy and Air Force also participating. The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of irrigation systems, stating that the government must ensure every area has water for farmers. Currently, the development of public utilities in the Nong Wua So model project utilizes a budget of 98 million baht. The military land leased to farmers today covered over 10,000 rai (4,000 acres), earlier used for military exercises and firing ranges. A total of 434 people submitted applications for leasing 584 plots of land for agriculture purposes. Source: Thai News Agency