MP Questions 200-Million-Baht Aquatic Center in Agriculture Ministry Budget

Nattcha Boonchaiinswaddhi, a People's Party list MP serving as a minority committee member, challenged the Department of Fisheries' allocation of 4.8 billion baht from the 3.78-trillion-baht fiscal year 2570 budget during a parliamentary session on September 8, 2026. She noted that half of the fisheries budget goes to personnel costs, leaving insufficient funds for core departmental work, while the government proceeds with a 200-million-baht aquatic animal exhibition center in Udon Thani—the minister's hometown.

Nattcha questioned whether the facility is truly an aquatic exhibition center or a showcase of ministerial glory, pointing out that similar centers exist in other provinces where agriculture ministers hail from. She criticized the Department of Fisheries for prioritizing this non-urgent project instead of addressing urgent problems faced by farmers and aquaculture operators, particularly those suffering from black-bearded catfish attacks. The proposed center carries a construction cost of 150,000 baht per square meter, with a total budget commitment of 229.32 million baht for fiscal year 2570 and an additional 34.39 million baht in the fiscal year 2570 drawdown.

Even after a subcommittee reduced the budget by 750,000 baht—equivalent to less than 7 square meters of construction—Nattcha argued the cuts demonstrated how needlessly critical the project was labeled. She criticized the director-general's justification that the center would boost tourism, education, environmental awareness, and the economy through construction employment, questioning whether these align with the fisheries department's mandate. She concluded that with an 11-billion-baht budget cut imposed on agriculture programs, approving this project while denying others that actually help farmers adds insult to agricultural hardship.