"Thai Rice NAMA" launched in central region

BANGKOK, May 24 (TNA) - The "Thai Rice NAMA", a sustainable rice production initiative aimed to help ease the problem of global warming or climate change, has been jointly launched by the Thai and the German governments, with the support of other European nations. Dujduan Sasanawin, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Agriculture and Cooperatives, told journalists on Friday that the Thai government, through her ministry, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, under the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), ‎have worked together on the initiative in order to not only enhance the efficiency of Thailand's rice production, but also help relieve the problem of climate change through the sustainable rice cultivation system, under which energy saving grains, or the label No. 5-grains, will be produced. Dujduan stated that the five-year "Thai Rice NAMA" initiative (2018-2023) will first benefit about 100,000 households of local rice farmers in six central Thai provinces selected as its pilot project, including Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Suphan Buri, covering total rice fields of 2.8 million rai (2.5 rai = 1 acre) with their twice harvesting period yearly. According to the senior official, the pilot project, under the "Thai Rice NAMA" initiative, is targeted to produce 4 million tons of the label No. 5-grains annually at the maximum. "Thailand has targeted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the country by 25 per cent by 2030 and the Thai Rice NAMA initiative has been launched as part of the goal", said the senior official. The senior official acknowledged that the five-year "Thai Rice NAMA" initiative has also been financially supported by the British and the Denish governments, as well as the European Union (EU) at a total fund of about 14.9 million euro, or about 600 million baht. (TNA)