(Photo by Sunthorn Pongpao)Rice farmers in Ayutthaya came together Tuesday to take part in an auspicious tradition of growing rice in the paddy field from which the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej harvested rice for his royally initiated project. The late King Bhumibol Adulyadej harvested rice from the royal experimental rice field in Thung Makham Yong on May 14, 1996. His Majesty the Late King and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit revisited the rice field on May 25, 2012. Local farmers voluntarily grow rice in nearby areas in an effort to expand the late monarch’s rice field, while around 50 farmers have joined the organic rice growing programmes offered by the provincial agriculture officers, who provide seeds and farming technology. Theerasak Khumngern, a local agriculture officer, said the technology helps save on the quantity of seeds sown on the paddy and yet achieves high yields.

Source: Bangkok Post April 05, 2017 00:56 UTC