So far this year, the ministry has given Bt60 million to 40 prat chao ban (knowledgeable and experienced farmers) for their self-sustaining demonstration farms and centres across the country.

"The prat chao ban who've been developing their agricultural knowledge from real experience by themselves are better than general officials who rarely have practical experience," Deputy Agriculture Minister Dr Rung-ruang Isarangkura na Ayudhya said recently.

On Thursday, the ministry's selected villagers attended an course about the prat chao ban project as the ministry wanted to hear their views.

According to Rungruang, these 40 local self-reliant agricultural demonstration farms and centres have been operating for a long time. Each has its own processing, tool-making and self-reliant agriculture courses based on knowledge from the prat chao bans' real experiences.

"Local farmers value what they learn from these knowledgeable villagers," he said.

Rungruang expected the 40 people to train up to 20,000 farmers this year. The Agriculture Ministry paid each centre Bt3,000 per farmer participating in its course. Of them, about 300 should be able to become the next prat chao ban to start demonstration centres too.

Amnaj Maiyodklang, chief of villager development centre in Nakhon Ratchasima, said he was pleased with the Agriculture Ministry's project.

"My centre can do more work with subsidies from the ministry," he said.

Samana Siangsil Shatavaro, honoured by the government as a Thai teacher for environmental management, said the funds would benefit everyone.

But he warned the ministry it should focus more on quality rather than quantity.

Pasara Puthamat

The Nation