Misuse, illegal ownership of agricultural land to be tackled
The Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) has tasked the governors of 72 provinces with checking the ownership of land allocated by the office for agricultural use to ensure that it is not being misused or illegally owned by parties other than the intended farmers.
In an urgent letter dispatched to provincial governors on Thursday, ALRO secretary-general Winaroj Subsongsuk ordered each province to set up a committee responsible for investigating the ownership and use of the plots allocated for agricultural purposes.
A second committee will be established to pursue legal action against illegal owners and those who are using the land for other purposes, he added.
The two committees will work in collaboration with the task force from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, which is responsible for ensuring that state land allocated to farmers is used for the intended purposes.
ALRO expects the province to submit their investigation results monthly, starting from May 31.
Winaroj warned that provincial officials failing to address misuse or illegal ownership of land in their areas will be liable for malfeasance charges.
The crackdown is a follow-up to the government policy to allow 1.62 million farmers to change their Sor Por Kor 4-01, documents issued by ALRO, into land title deeds to offer more benefits to farmers who have rights to government land. The policy was launched in January.
The benefits farmers obtain from land title deeds are:
▪︎ Land can be transferred wholly or partly to ALRO or among eligible farmers.
▪︎ Land can be used as collateral for loans or by persons entering the judicial process.
▪︎ Farmers can generate more income by growing valuable plants or selling carbon credits.
▪︎ Farmers can receive government support for the development of infrastructure and utilities, as well as compensation for disasters.
