Ayutthaya farmers remember late King in rice-planting ceremony

Rice farmers in Ayutthaya came together Tuesday to take part in a rice-planting ceremony in the paddy field from which the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej harvested rice for his royally initiated project.

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Farmers sow rice on historic Rama IX land

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Rice farmers in Ayutthaya came together Tuesday to take part in an auspicious tradition of growing rice in the paddy field from which the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej harvested rice for his royally-initiated project.

The farmers sowed their rice in the 7-rai high-quality field using machines, and they hope their crop will be ready by May 25, when a ceremony in commemoration of the revered late King will be held.

The late King Bhumibol Adulyadej harvested rice from the royal experimental rice field in Thung Makham Yong on May 14, 1996. His Majesty the Late King and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit revisited the rice field on May 25, 2012.

When Ayutthaya faced severe flooding in 1995, His Majesty directed that flood water be diverted to some of his land to spare local people from the impact of the floods. The 7-rai field makes up part of the land and the custom is a way for locals to express their thanks for the King’s generosity and for saving their homes.

Local farmers voluntarily grow rice in nearby areas in an effort to expand the late monarch’s rice field, while around 50 farmers have joined the organic rice growing programmes offered by the provincial agriculture officers, who provide seeds and farming technology. Theerasak Khumngern, a local agriculture officer, said the technology helps save on the quantity of seeds sown on the paddy and yet achieves high yields.

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