AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN THAILAND; A BRIEF ASSESSMENT

The agricultural sector is described in an historical and situational context by the following eleven aspects: (1) the role of agriculture within the total economy; (2) the land resource base; (3) size of holding and land tenure patterns; (4) income and income distribution; (5) rural employment; (6) agricultural technology; (7) agricultural prices; (8) agricultural production; (9) forestry and fisheries; (10) agricultural exports; and (11) constraints to increased agricultural production and productivity. Several conclusions are reached within the rural employment section, and projections for crop yields are cited in the agricultural production section. Regarding the former, if per capita incomes are to be increased, emphasis should be placed not on the number of hours worked per day, but on the productivity of the labor and the availability of productive employment opportunities. The successful absorption of a labor force increasing at an annual rate of 2.6% will depend on the availability, adaptability and economic attractiveness of new technology suited to the rainfed conditions which the majority of farmers experience. Accompanied by efforts to increase productivity and employment through higher input technology, consideration should be given to production diversification aimed at spreading employment more evenly throughout the year. Multiple cropping, for instance, has such potential. An appended list of useful references contains 44 entries (1963-1977) and consists of many statistical agricultural surveys.