Farmers flout crop warnings
Farmers in the Central Plains provinces are planting more off-season rice crops than allowed at their own peril, a senior irrigation officer warned. Bowdaeng Takaew, head of the Ayutthaya Irrigation Project, said many farmers in the Central region have refused to cooperate with authorities and gone ahead with planting the crops despite warnings of a water shortage this summer. A survey by the authorities found farmers in the Central Plains have grown more than 5.3 million rai of off-season rice crops, 2.7 million rai more than the Royal Irrigation Department is able to supply water for. In many areas, the rice crops are around two months old and due for harvest at the end of April, he added. Irrigation officials have repeatedly warned farmers of an impending drought and a water shortage in many parts of the country.
