July 25–27, 2025 – Mrs. Sucharee Picha, Director of the Office of Agricultural Economics Office 1, participated in an official field visit to Phayao Province alongside Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Mr. Akkara Promphao, and executives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. The visit aimed to monitor the flood situation caused by Tropical Storm “Wipha,” visit affected communities, and distribute lunch boxes and relief kits to help alleviate initial suffering.
The Deputy Minister instructed relevant agencies to urgently assess the damage to agricultural areas and swiftly prepare production inputs for farmers affected by the floods. He emphasized that the Royal Irrigation Department must manage water resources to their fullest capacity through integrated cooperation with other agencies under the Ministry.
In the short term, measures include releasing water through the back channel of Kwan Phayao and temporarily storing it in Nong Leng Sai and Mae Puem reservoirs.
In the medium term, the focus is on collaborative provincial water management within the Upper Mekong River Basin (Ing River Basin). The principles of the “Bang Rakam Model” will be adapted to address chronic flooding problems in Phayao Province. This includes shifting the seasonal rice planting schedule to allow harvesting before peak flooding periods.
Additionally, public land will be surveyed to establish “monkey cheek” (flood retention) projects to enhance water storage capacity. Sand dredging at Kwan Phayao will be carried out, with the soil and sand used to reshape paddy fields. Recurring flood-prone rice fields will be converted into lotus farms to generate supplementary income for farmers in the area.
