Rice Department Denies 16 Million Baht Electric Tractor Claim
The Rice Department’s Director‑General denied claims that an electric tractor would cost 16 million baht, attributing the figure to a misunderstanding of early budget discussions. He said the department is still studying a low‑carbon rice program that would introduce solar‑powered machinery and other clean‑energy tools to cut farmers’ costs and raise incomes. Any procurement must follow standard government procedures, and unrealistic prices would be filtered out by internal committees.
The Director‑General, Anannon Nonthri, spoke on 15 October 2069 BE (2026 CE) about the controversy surrounding the alleged purchase of 16‑million‑baht electric rice‑harvesting vehicles. He traced the idea back to the Rice Department’s low‑carbon rice program, which aims to replace fossil‑fuel machinery with clean‑energy alternatives such as solar‑electric tractors, solar‑powered water pumps, electric dryers, and rooftop solar panels to cut costs and boost income for farmers, echoing the minister’s agenda of cost reduction, productivity gains, and higher earnings. Anannon said the 16‑million‑baht figure likely came from a misreading of overall project numbers — when officials discussed a total budget of 8‑10 billion baht for 400‑500 pilot sites, the simple division produced the mistaken per‑unit cost. He stressed that neither the minister nor the ministry has ever stated a unit price of 16 million baht, and the Rice Department has not yet finalized any project details, specifications, or budget, as discussions are still ongoing about how many projects, pilot locations, and equipment types are needed to match regional farmer demand. Before any purchase can proceed, the proposal must pass multiple layers of review — first within the Rice Department, then the Ministry of Agriculture, and finally bodies such as the National Economic and Social Development Council or relevant committees — ensuring that only market‑based, reasonable prices are approved under government procurement rules.
