Southern rice growers and millers warn of mounting food-security risks as rice-growing areas shrink rapidly and farmers switch to oil palm because of high costs, low yields, and weak returns.
Likhit Lekhaphan, president of the Southern Rice Millers and Farmers Association, said rice-growing areas across the South were declining by an estimated 10-15% a year.
In Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla and Phatthalung, the region’s main rice-producing provinces, registered cultivation areas have fallen from more than one million rai to just over 200,000 rai, he said. “The government must consider food security because over a million rai of rice-growing land has disappeared,” Mr Likhit said.
He blamed the decline on low returns, high production costs and inadequate support, saying many farmers were turning to oil palm because rice was no longer economically viable.
The shift also threatens businesses throughout the supply chain, including tractor operators, harvesting contractors, transport firms, fertiliser and agrochemical suppliers, rice mills and workers.
Mr Likhit warned that once paddies are converted into oil palm plantations, restoring them to rice cultivation would be prohibitively expensive. He called for government support to reduce costs for water, fertiliser, land preparation, seed, fuel and labour, saying production costs had risen by as much as 20%.
Although prices during the latest off-season crop were relatively firm, with RD varieties fetching 9,000 baht to more than 10,000 baht per tonne and some local varieties above 10,000 baht, high costs continued to squeeze margins.
Declining production could also raise costs for food businesses dependent on rice, including khanom jeen, khao yam, desserts and rice-noodle producers. Southern rice mills alone are worth about 3 billion baht, he said.
Pairot Rojnarat, chairman of the Phatthalung Rice Mill Association, said production of local varieties had fallen despite continued demand.
Chiang rice has almost disappeared from Phatthalung, while Tia Daeng production has dropped by 80-90%. Sang Yod remains relatively stable at about 7,000-8,000 tonnes a year.
Local varieties typically yield only 400-500 kilogrammes per rai per crop, compared with 700-800kg for faster-maturing commercial RD varieties, he said.
Mr Pairot urged authorities to provide farmers with clearer market guidance and improve access to suitable seed.
Seed shortages are already emerging. Prachuap Ketunim, chairman of the Khuan Khanun Large-Scale Rice Farming Community Enterprise Group in Phatthalung, said Leb Nok seed was difficult to obtain for the 2026/2027 main crop.
He said available seed had also lost some of its original soft-grain characteristics, reflecting inadequate varietal development.
Tossapol Khwanrot, owner of the Khok Nong Na Sufficiency Economy Project in Nakhon Si Thammarat, said southern farmers generally needed yields of about one tonne per rai to make rice farming worthwhile.