Rapid Assessment for Resilient Recovery and ... - GFDRR

MOAC aims to provide inputs such as livestock breeds, seeds and animal feed to help
farmers get back to farming quickly. At the time of writing, the MOAC was attempting to
secure about THB 1.7 billion to procure 71,200 metric tons of rice seeds for distribution.
Under the plan, farmers that lost 50 percent or more of their crops would get up to 10
kilograms of seeds per rai, with a maximum compensation of 10 rai per farmer.
BAAC introduced a three-year debt suspension scheme for farmers with less than THB
500,000 in loans, and introduced a new program that allows farmers with less than THB
100,000 in loans to apply for new loans.
Another short-term relief initiative the government is undertaking is to provide a holistic
assistance to farmers such as provision of veterinary services and cleaning of damaged
areas.
Programs providing compensation for damage in crop, livestock and fishery sub-sectors
are as follows 29 . The government plans to provide compensation for rice crops, field crops,
and permanent crops based on the number of rai a farmer farms. This planned assistance
aims to cover 100 percent of damaged lands. Similarly, fisher folk are eligible to receive
compensation for every rai of fresh water aquaculture, inland aquaculture ponds, up to a
maximum of 5 rai per household, as well as for aquaculture cages lost or damaged. In the
livestock sub-sector, the planned compensation amount varies by animal, and by age of
animal, with cattle and calves, swine and piglets all receiving varying rates of compensation
– and all of them being capped at a maximum. Additionally, the Department of
Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) announced plans to provide compensation for
damaged houses, loss of farm equipment and barns.
Three observations should be noted here. First, the compensation for the loss of crops
and animals does not distinguish between the cost of damage (to property, livestock and
permanent trees) and production losses. Second, farmers will have to file many compensation
claims forms for access to assistance from various departments, which means that
some farmers may not access the compensation for which they are eligible. Finally, the
local governments, the district and provincial or regional administrations, are compiling the
aggregated information on estimated losses, damage and claims. This could result in a
lack of detailed information on damage to farm machinery and household level assets as
only the aggregated information are recorded.
The recovery and reconstruction efforts in the agriculture sector are to be coordinated and
facilitated by the Royal Thai Government through relevant line ministries and departments.
MOAC will be the lead implementing agency, through its Department of Agriculture Extension
(DAE), Department of Livestock Development (DLD) and Department of Fisheries (DOF),
and in close collaboration with the BAAC. Collaboration could be made with national and
international CSOs, research institutions, foundations, and other relevant institutions in this
endeavor.
The private sector plays a dominant role in the agriculture sector in Thailand and has
been largely affected by the floods through damage to small-, medium- and large-sized
entrepreneurs, traders and agri-industry owners. Commercial rice mills, poultry farms, fish
hatcheries, pig farms, etc. need to restart business, for which they need immediate access
to capital, and BAAC and even commercial banks would have an important role in recovery
and reconstruction efforts.
29 See Annex 2 for further detail.
28 THAI FLOOD 2011 RAPID ASSESSMENT FOR RESILIENT RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION PLANNING