Thailand Advances Rice Support and AI-Based Agricultural Supply Forecasting
On October 20, Thailand’s Cabinet approved a THB 58.91 billion (USD 1.75 billion) support package for the 2026/27 main rice crop to ease price pressure during peak harvest. The largest component is a THB 40.93 billion (USD 1.22 billion) loan scheme that lets farmers store up to 3 million tonnes of paddy until prices improve. The package also includes low-interest financing for cooperatives, interest compensation for traders holding stock, and THB 84 million (USD 2.5 million) for high-quality rice production under the government’s “New Rice Economy” initiative.
On September 30, Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun launched “Near Harvest,” an AI-based platform developed by the Ministry of Commerce with partner ministries and the Big Data Institute. The system is being piloted on rice, with plans to add other crops. The platform combines farm registration data, satellite imagery, and local prices to forecast when, where, and in what volumes crops will reach the market, and flags areas at risk of oversupply down to the sub-district level. For U.S. companies, Thailand’s push for data-driven supply forecasting and higher-quality rice production points to openings in agtech, satellite and data analytics, and quality seeds and inputs as the platform expands to other crops.
