As a result of the order, more than 3,600 rai (576 hectares) of land under ALRO control could be used for the production of fuel, plus windmills to generate electricity, and mining by companies that have state contracts or concessions, he said.

The land is only 0.9 per cent of 41 million rai allocated for landless farmers across the country, he said.

But farmers in possession of the affected land must be compensated, he said. The decision was opposed by civic groups that said the land was originally allocated for poor farmers, not for private-sector businesses. Use of the land for those purposes was also blocked by a Supreme Administrative Court ruling.

However, the invocation of Article 44 would break the legal deadlock for ongoing projects, but not new projects or others under consideration, he said.