Farmers urge government to relax drone flight ban to reduce costs amid falling rice prices
Farmers call for relaxation of drone flight ban to reduce fertiliser, pesticide, and labour costs as rice prices plummet below 5,000 baht per tonne.
Farmers along the Thai-Cambodian border are urging the government to ease restrictions on drone flights, which they say could help reduce costs related to fertilising, pesticide spraying, and high labour charges. The price of rice has been plummeting, with some areas seeing fresh paddy fall below 5,000 baht per tonne, further exacerbating the financial strain on local farmers.
Samanat Sukkon, Chairman of the Tron Agricultural Cooperative in Uttaradit province, shared his concerns with Thansettakij newspaper. He highlighted a recent directive by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) that bans all types of drone operations nationwide from July 30 to August 15, 2025, due to security concerns arising from tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border.
The restriction is intended to safeguard national security, with violators facing potential prison sentences of up to one year or fines of up to 40,000 baht under the Air Navigation Act.
"Farmers understand the need for security, but we are in urgent need of support. Rice prices are too low, and in some areas, fresh paddy has fallen below 5,000 baht per tonne," Samanat explained.
"We want the government to relax the ban on agricultural drones that fly only 4 metres high. These drones were previously used for fertiliser spreading and pest control, but now they are prohibited. With labour costs rising to 400 baht per day and a shortage of workers, drones would be a much more affordable and efficient solution,” he said.
