The first batch of 5,000- baht cash handouts are expected to be paid to farmers on May 15 as part of the government’s Covid-19 relief measures to ease their hardship, said the permanent secretary of the Agriculture Ministry, Anun Suwannarat.

After the Cabinet’s approval on April 28, he said the ministry has gathered information of registered farmers and shared the database of about 8.3 million farmers to the Ministry of Finance for examination to prevent redundancies with other relief benefits from the government.

The list of the first batch of 8.3 million eligible farmers was sent to the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives and the bank would start to transfer the first round of cash handouts to farmers’ bank accounts from May 15.

He urged farmers who have not yet applied for farmers' registration or updated their registration to do so by May 15 to receive financial assistance of 5,000 baht for three months from May to July. 

They can register with the Department of Agricultural Extension, the Livestock Development Department, the Fisheries Department, the Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture, the Rubber Authority of Thailand, the Office of the Cane and Sugar Board and the Tobacco Authority of Thailand. 

They can also apply for farmers’ registration with the Department of Agriculture Extension through local leaders and agriculture volunteers in their villages and their information will be forwarded to local agriculture offices.

Source: TNA