BANGKOK, Thailand – The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is set to officially launch a major national program on May 14 to issue “Tree Title Deeds” and “Rubber Tree Title Deeds,” providing farmers with legal recognition of trees as economic assets that can be used as collateral for loans. The launch event will take place at the Non-Farm Career Promotion and Development Center in Ayutthaya province, marking the start of a policy aimed at unlocking new financial and environmental benefits for farmers nationwide.
Led by Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat, the Ministry expects the program to strengthen land tenure security, improve farmers’ access to financial services, and support sustainable forest management and carbon credit markets. The effort will begin in land reform zones and expand nationwide, giving farmers new ways to boost their income without cutting down trees or selling their land.
The Rubber Authority of Thailand and the Agricultural Land Reform Office will jointly oversee the rollout, which includes a formal signing ceremony and a presentation on how farmers can register their trees, assess their value, and leverage them within the financial system. Twenty farmers are expected to receive the first symbolic rubber tree title deeds at the event.
Officials say the program could generate wider economic benefits, including carbon credit trading, sustainable timber sales, and possible tax incentives, while supporting the national target of increasing forest cover to 40 percent of Thailand’s land area.
The Ministry has invited farmers, financial institutions, and the public to follow the event, describing it as a key step in linking environmental protection with economic development in the agricultural sector. (NNT)
