Vinaroj Supsongsuk, OAE director-general, said that the multiplier effect of the government spending on 15 key agriculture-related policies could drive the flow of money to 2.65 times the actual amount budgeted and generate additional farm income.

Of these 15 policies a total of Bt42.87 billion is focused on five areas: upgrading agricultural standards for sustainability extending across water resource management, fishery standardisation, development of a rice seed centre, assistance on debts to agricultural cooperative members and the Pracha Rath farm development institute.

Others key areas include promotion to add product value, use of agricultural machines to replace workers, the organic agricultural product bank, a promotion system for large-scale farming, a learning centre to boost production efficiency for agricultural products, development of smart farming, agricultural area management under proactive agricultural plans, promotion of new agricultural theory, developing agricultural product markets and development of good agricultural practices (GAP).

Of the total money flow of Bt113.52 billion, about Bt79.65 billion comes from production of materials and related products in supply chains, as a result of equipment procurement in construction projects including water distribution systems and improvement of water sources for greenhouses.

About Bt33.87 billion came from wages in projects for farmers, such as the fees for instructors and travel allowances. Those wages are spent on household consumption, thus contributing to the income of shops and businesses in communities.

Another Bt9.36 billion is additional income for farmers from the Bt4.17-billion water resource management project.

The agricultural sector has seen higher potential through fishery standardisation, which has allowed the country to export more Thai fishery products to the European Union (EU) and non-EU markets.

As the programmes help reduce the production costs of farmers and food producers, increase promotion of products, or increase use of agricultural machines, sector incomes and profits are increased by 0.5-1.0 times.

Learning centres help boost the efficiency of producing agricultural products, while the smart farmers programme helps farmers become more self-reliant through learning about efficient production planning and making choices based on Agri-Map zones.

Activities or projects under the scheme aiming to raise capabilities of the agricultural sector and farmers are expected to raise future farm incomes through improved quality of products, value-added products, and increased knowledge of production and distribution channels for export.