PUBLISHED : 16 Jan 2024 at 04:00
AYUTTHAYA: The first batch of “land title deeds for agriculture”, an upgrade of the former Sor Por Kor 4-01 licence, was handed out to 25,000 registered farmers yesterday, Agriculture Minister Capt Thammanat Prompow said.
Capt Thammanat chaired a land title deeds ceremony at the Centre for the Promotion and Development of Additional Careers Outside of Agriculture in Bang Sai district of this Central Plains province.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin also sent a letter to the farmers, congratulating them on the land title upgrade.
The new deeds were handed out to the representatives from 11 provinces in the agricultural land reform areas: Kanchanaburi, Chon Buri, Chai Nat, Chachoengsao, Lop Buri, Saraburi, Nakhon Nayok, Suphan Buri, Prachin Buri, Uthai Thani, and Phetchaburi.
The idea of having titles for agricultural land is part of a plan to revise the titles of all 22 million rai of land under the Agriculture Ministry’s responsibility within five years to upgrade the current regulation under the land reform law that was out of date and not in line with societal changes.
That 22 million rai of land was owned by at least 1.6 million deed owners, with at least 2.2 million documents supposed to be issued from the programme.
Some two million rai are now ready to be upgraded based on specific conditions, including that the land has been in their possession for five years or more.
Thammanat: Titles part of land reforms
Capt Thamanat said the ministry has devised extra measures to prevent the illegal possession of land, and wrongdoers will face criminal charges.
He said farmers on 226,839 land plots had been registered with the programme, both online and physically.
Of those, 1,992 land plots, or 16,112 rai of agricultural areas, officially had their hands on land deeds.
As the programme is expected to grow, the ministry has ordered the related agencies to give farmers information regarding the upgraded deeds while seeking a way to add more value to them.
The agricultural deeds have benefits similar to those issued by the Defence Ministry’s Department of Land but differ with a green Garuda mark on top of the document.
The deed’s owners also receive more benefits from the Agricultural Land Reform Office (Alro).
The additional benefits include rights transferring, credit limit increases, individual guarantees, income making, and infrastructure promotion.
Winaroj Subsingsuk, Alro’s secretary-general, said the office has now ordered related agencies to help spread the government’s information on the programme.
Mr Winaroj said that the agencies and their networks will look after the farmers’ well-being.