Thai cabinet approves debt suspension for farmers
2023.09.26 03:04
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A farmer sprays paddy seeds in a rice field in Chainat province, Thailand, August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/file photo
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s cabinet has approved a debt suspension plan for farmers, a deputy finance minister said on Tuesday.
The suspension will last three years and will cost the government 11 billion baht ($302.78 million), Julapun Amornvivat told reporters.
The suspension will begin on Oct. 1, he said, adding that farmers would also be allowed to borrow up to 100,000 baht each from the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives.
About 2.7 million farmers are eligible to join the programme, he said.
The new government, which took office last month, has prepared fresh policies to stimulate a sluggish economy weighed down declining exports and falling investor confidence.
($1 = 36.33 baht)
