Amendments to agricultural land ownership approved
The cabinet on October 18 approved amendments to the Agricultural Land Reform Act, which has been in force for 40 years, in a move to narrow land ownership disparity and maintain existing land for agriculture. Key amendments include permitting heirs who do not want to pursue farming rights to own the land and sell back the land lots to the Agricultural Land Reform Office. The amendments will also allow the agricultural land reform fund to pay farmers if they choose to quit farming and return their land plots. Currently, the fund controls about 1 billion baht, which is available to buy land plots under the scheme from farmers and their heirs. According to Kobsak Pootrakool, assistant minister the Prime Minister’s Office, the amendments will also allow the Agricultural Land Reform Office to buy land plots beyond the agricultural land reform scheme from general people who want to sell their land to allow allocation to farmers in need.
