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Father’s Rice

Ministry of Culture 666 Borommaratchachonnani Road, Bang Bamru, Bang Phlat, Bangkok 10700

Tel. 0 2422 8853-8 Call Center 1765 www.m-culture.go.th

FATHER’S RICE

In Honour of His Majesty the King On the auspicious occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of

the King’s Coronation, May 5th, 2010

Published by the Ministry of Culture

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej sitting on the Royal Palanquin _ Ratchayarn Puttarn Thong, flanked on both sides by officers

in charge conveying a couple of Royal Swords in the grand procession, May 5th, 1950.

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej addressing His primary royal command “We will reign with righteousness for the common good of the Siamese people.”, pouring lustral water into a vessel and vowing to perform His duties according to

the Ten Virtues at Paisarntaksin Throne Hall.

His Majesty the King graciously sowing paddy seeds into the experimental field at Chitralada, Dusit Palace.

The royal address by His Majesty King Bhumibol on His visit to the project at Kok Ku Wae,

Narathiwat Province, 1993.

“Rice has to be cultivated because

in 20 years the population will rise up to 80

million. Rice will not be sufficient, if rice

farming continuously declines in number. Then

we have to import rice from abroad. What for?

Thai people must not give up. Thai people have

to have rice. Even if rice cultivated in Thailand

is not as good as that in the foreign countries,

we have to cultivate it anyway…”

F A T H E R’ S R I C E 6

M e s s a g e

The year 2010 marks an auspicious occasion for the Thai people as the

Diamond Jubilee of the King’s Coronation. When officially ascending the throne on

May 5th, 1950, the King announced publicly his primary royal command: “We will

reign with righteousness for the common good of the Siamese people.”

The King is the centre of spiritual unity for all Thais throughout the

Kingdom, as evident in that, through his reign, he has dedicated himself to

magnanimous tasks for the well-being and the benefit of his citizenry.

On this auspicious occasion as well as the Royal Ploughing Ceremony,

the Ministry of Culture has produced a publication of “Khao Khong Por” and

“Father’s Rice”, the Thai and English versions to be part of the celebrations.

“Rice”, the root of Thai culture, has been one of the four fundamental

needs relating closely to the Thai way of life for a long time. Having realized the

importance of the Thai farmers, whose main occupation is to grow rice, the Thai

monarch consistently bestowed support and advice to the farmers and

commanded the Royal Ploughing Ceremony to be undertaken. During the reign of


Teera Slukpetch

Minister of Culture

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the present monarch, the Royal Ploughing

Ceremony has been revived and modified for the suitability of the period, and was

decreed to be an auspicious ceremony that rendered spiritual support to the Thai

farmers.

The Ministry of Culture fully hopes that the book “Khao Khong Por” or

“Father’s Rice” will be of knowledge for the Thai people to learn and realize the

advantage, value and significance of rice, and that, most of all, it will enable them

to truly comprehend the words “Khao Khong Por” or “Father’s Rice” with profound

gratitude and respect to the great compassion and kindness of the King as the

“Father of the Land”.


F o r e w o r d

…Sukhothai, the city of abundant prosperity _ fish in the waters, rice in

the fields…These words were recorded on inscription no.1 by King Ramkhamhaeng

the Great and are well-remembered by heart by most Thai people, reflecting the

Thai way of life and the prosperity of the land.

“Rice”, a one-syllable word, is the cultural root that mirrors the Thai

way of life in multi-dimensions as seen in ceremonies, traditions, rites, rituals,

beliefs, etc., namely: the ploughing ceremony, the blessing rites and rituals to Mae

Phosop _ the rice goddess, or to the spirit of rice, including the feline procession

begging for rain, the fire rockets, folk games and plays, the sickle dance and

farmers’ dance, for instance.

On this momentous occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of the King’s

Coronation, the government has confided agencies from both the official and

private sectors to organize activities and celebrations humbly dedicated to the

King’s honour. As a testament of profound gratitude, the Ministry of Culture has

produced 2 books: “Khao Khong Por”, the Thai version written by Ms.Wimolphun

Pitathawatchai who kindly allowed a reprint of the text, and “Father’s Rice”, the

English version translated by Ms.Khanittha Boonpan. The content of the book gives


an account of Thai rice from the past through to the present in a well-written and

an easy-to-read style. Important to the story is the reflection of the King’s tasks

and his earnest compassion for the Thai farmers, as the backbone of the nation, to

whom the King has conferred morale, concern, support and advice until ultimately

came the birth of “Khao Khong Por” or “Father’s Rice”.

On behalf of the Ministry of Culture, I would like to convey my thanks to

both the writer and the translator of the book on this occasion. I do hope that the

book “Khao Khong Por” or “Father’s Rice” will not only make known the King’s

great honour to the public far and wide, inside and outside the country, but also

enable the Thai people to feel a sense of pride and gratefulness under the

patronage of the great righteous King.

Vira Rojpojchanarat

Permanent Secretary for Culture


It is a great pleasure that the Ministry of Culture will reprint the book “Khao

Khong Por”, and a well-translated volume of its English version by Ms.Khanittha

Boonpan, one of the quality translators of Thailand, with purpose of celebrating the

auspicious occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of the King’s Coronation in May this year.

“Khao Khong Por” relates the history of rice in Thailand, as well as cultural

beliefs and the relationship between the institution of the monarchy and Thai farmers,

inwhich the King is regarded as the centre to uphold and unite the Thai way of life, the

spirit of Thai people, and Thai society from falling apart. To the readers, the story also

imparts a knowledge of Thai rice and Thai farmers under the patronage of the great

righteous King, whose generosity is bountiful metaphorically as “the Spirit of Rice and the

Spirit of the Land”, and as the foundation and ultimate goal of life for all Thais.

As the author of the book, I felt overwhelmed and proud when informed that

the Ministry of Culture had recognized the value of the book and would make a reprint of

it on this significant occasion from which will bring joy and happiness to all Thais

throughout the nation.

R e m a r k f r o m t h e A u t h o r

Wimolphun Pitathawatchai

“Father’s Rice” was translated from “Khao Khong Por” written by Wimolphun

Pitathawatchai. “Khao Khong Por”, the Thai edition was first published in 2006. When I

was given the book by the author, I read and finished it in a short period of time. I found

the story very interesting and astonishing, including the history of rice, rice culture, and

rice and the Thai monarchy, especially the projects about rice and the new theory

initiated by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, that encouraged me to begin my own

small project based on that theory.

Having finished reading, and with the author’s permission, I began my

translation of the book. I had to study and research for the accuracy and equivalence in

English terms and expressions to make my translation true to the original text and

comparable in terms of content. I added some explanations to my translation in order

that the non-Thai readers would understand the most clearly.

I deeply appreciated when I learned that “Father’s Rice” will be published by

the Ministry of Culture. I, therefore, would like to extend my earnest appreciation to the

Ministry of Culture and to Mr.Vira Rojpojchanarat, the Permanent Secretary of the

Ministry of Culture for making the book “Father’s Rice” possible and available to the

public. I hope that this book, more or less, will be of knowledge and benefit for literary

enthusiasts, translators as well as for readers both Thai and foreign alike.


R e m a r k f r o m t h e T r a n s l a t o r

Khanittha Boonpan


“Father’s Rice” is an important book that Thai people, regardless to sex and

age, should read in order to appreciate the magnanimous tasks of the King, whose

compassion and generosity umbrella Thai farmers as well as Thai people at all levels.

The readers will learn from this book the history of rice and its legends around

the globe including Thailand, aside from the story of rice strains, rice farmers, rice selling,

Thai food and desserts made from rice along with its nutritional value.

Rice was not only the main nourishment for Thai people in earlier days, but

also their lives and culture. Thai people perform both official and unofficial rites and

rituals, as a contribution to rice, from the time before the rice planting begins through to

when rice is growing until the harvest’s end. In each step of rite and ritual performance,

the will-to-do is to express gratitude to rice, deities, ancestors, land and water, as well as

animals and tools used in their farms.

Nature, rites and rituals, however, could not always provide prosperity and

abundant crops. And the eco-socio capitalist system made it worse in their suffering, as

if rice enabled those who did not do rice farming get richer, while most of the farmers

have to buy rice for consumption and carry debt that will never be paid off all their lives.

Having witnessed all those problems, His Majesty the King tried to solve them

by all meritorious means. For instance, He commanded the Royal Ploughing Ceremony to

be undertaken, according to the ancient tradition, allowed agricultural academics to

experiment rice planting in the compound of the Chitralada Palace, and bestowed paddy

seeds to be used in the ceremony which were considered as the spirit of rice to farmers

throughout the country. He initiated a number of royal projects beneficial to agriculture

as a whole, as can be seen in the projects of water source management and artificial

P r e f a c e


Dr.Sumet Tantivejchakul

The Chairman of the Board of the Thai Rice Foundation

under the King’s patronage.

rain, and the projects that directly assist rice farmers, such as the Royally Initiated Rice

Mill, the Cattle Bank, the Royally Initiated Co-operative Development, the Rice Bank and

the New Theory for well-being and self-sufficiency.

No matter how much investment and effort, physically and spiritually, was

spent, the achievement seemed to be far reaching. If Thai people did not yet realize the

worth and the cost of rice, preferring to eat already precooked products and still wasting

their food, favouring concocted tastes rather than the true value, the over made-up food

products would not only decrease nutritional value, but also destroy the consuming

culture and the Thai way of life.

The book “Father’s Rice” gives the knowledge of rice, and reminds Thai

people of their root and the blood, flesh and spirit of their forefathers from the past

through to the present. Likewise, it suggests how we should consume rice.

Most importantly, the King’s compassion and generosity gave birth to

thousands of projects which encouraged farmers, in terms of strength and spiritual

support, to use their intellect in producing a good and abundant crop, while also

providing a complete value and safety for their families, environment and rice consumers.

If rice is sold, it will gain a good price, and it is the farmers who will earn a fair income.

“Father” has taken good care of farmers and His people. Whenever we

eat rice, whether it be glutineous or non-glutineous rice, husked rice, red rice, polished

white rice or even already precooked rice, we should remember in our hearts the King’s

great compassion and generosity, and that the rice we eat is “Father’s Rice”.


1. “Red Rice and Hot Curry” 17

The “Red Rice and Hot Curry” Is Best Known by Its

Life-Nourishing Merit.

2. Rice of the Land 25

3. The Merit of Rice 35

4. The Magic of Rice 43

5. Rice and the Thai Monarch 53

6. Thai Royal Ploughing Ceremony 61

7. Thai Farmers’ Spirit of Life 71

8. The Spirit of Rice and the Spirit of the Land 81

9. The Paddy Field - Spirit of the Field 89

10. The Auspicious Species of Rice 99

11. Royal Rain 111

12. Co-operative - The Rice Bank 117

13. The Cattle Bank 127

14. The New Theory of Agriculture-Adequacy and Sufficiency 135

15. Father’s Rice 143

C o n t e n t s


1 “Red Rice and Hot Curry” The “Red Rice and Hot Curry” Is Best Known by Its Life-Nourishing Merit.

Like other children nowadays, I dislike eating rice.

I prefer to have fast food, like pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches,

hotdogs and bread. However, I have to put up with eating rice

at every meal. My father must have noticed my attitude of

being fed up with eating rice for a long time, as one day he

told me “You must eat your rice.”


My father remarked that our land is a land of plenty, a

rice-bowl. Our Thai ancestors have planted and eaten rice

since the time of their forefathers. Rice is a typical nourishment

of this land that heaven has bestowed upon us. Thai people

have become what they are, and so have their nation and

their country, because of rice. Metaphorically, rice is a milky

stream that nourishes every Thai generation, the same as a

mother nourishes her child.

“Do you know,” asked my father, “that Thai

sovereigns in the old days ploughed the fields and planted

rice paddies? Even today the present monarch still does, and

he eats rice just as Thai folks do.”


My father began telling the story about rice. Rice is a

food of culture, a symbol of civilization for mankind. The first

rice stalks originated in Asia. The first people to cultivate rice

were the Asian race _ the Chinese. In the tropical region of

South-East Asia, notably in Thailand and Myanmar, rice has

been cultivated for over ten thousand years.


Prehistoric colour painting at Pha Mon Noi, Ban Pha Takum, Kong Jiam, Ubon Ratchathani shows farming methods, which may relate to a ritual performed to bring about fertility.

The civilization of mankind began 4 to 5 million years

ago, at one and the same time as the beginning of rice

cultivation. Man has long consumed rice as a main staple since

then, especially in Asia. Among Asian races, there are a

number of legends and folk-tales associated with rice,

signifying its crucial role. Asian people worship rice as if it

were a divine gift from heaven. Particularly for Thais, rice is

very essential to life.


Evidence points out that Thai people-the Siamese-

have been planting rice for more than five million years. Rice

was their spirit and soul. And their culture, traditions and

beliefs all derived from it. Thai people had cultivated and

consumed glutinous rice from earlier days. They began growing

and eating non-glutinous rice in the late Ayutthaya Period, due

to commercial and cultural exchange with India. This is when

non-glutinous rice, a new species, was introduced from India.

From then onward, rice to the Thai people could be either non-

glutinous or glutinous. Thais eat rice as a main staple. They

also use both types of rice to make a variety of desserts.

Currently, more than half of the population of the

world consume rice, and more than 80 percent of the Thai

population eat rice as their main staple everyday. Thais eat

rice 3 meals a day, approximately 130 kilogrammes per person

annually. Roughly 70 percent of the Thai population are rice

farmers, working in the largest area of the country of about 60

million rai (rai : a measurement of land equal to 1,600 square

metres). They work so exhaustedly hard with their backs to


the sky and faces to the soil to grow rice crops for their

countrymen of more than 60 million.

To be Thai is to forget not the merit of rice, my father

had reminded me, and to remember the old Thai saying “Not

knowing the merit of red rice and hot curry”. In other words,

the “red rice and hot curry” is best known by its life-

nourishing merit.

Having listened to what he said, I sat stunned and

speechless.


Rice of the Land Rice of the Land


2

My father held rice grains in his palm and scattered

them before me so that I could see the grains of ivory colour,

polished and gleaming. “Pay respect to them,” said he.

I followed his words, still stunned.

“Pay respect to Mae Phosop. She is the goddess and

the protector of rice,” my father added.


According to Thai folklore, rice was given to man by

a deity, a hermit and Mae Phosop. My father then recited a

folk-tale relating to rice. The story amused me when it came to

the part about the wish of a deity who sacrificed herself as a

taan, an offering in the form of rice to feed human creatures,

and the hermit who was the first to eat it.

The rice introduced by the hermit to man genuinely

came from the flesh and blood of Mae Phosop, who sacrificed


Goddess and God of Rice (From a handbook made from Khoi paper inwhich the instructions of how to earn a living of Southern people were written, 1992)

her own body as an offering as food for man. Mae Phosop, the

rice goddess, is therefore similar to a mother who feeds her

child with her milk. Legend also has it that rice grows naturally

in the wild. Its grains are as big as melons or coconuts, and

have wings to fly. When ripe, the grains fly to the mill house,

without any harvesting labour.


My father said the legends and folk-tales told by him

related to tradtional beliefs, or rites and rituals in relation to

Thai rice. A sovereign, according to the beliefs of Thai people,

is the Lord of Life, Lord of the Land and Lord of the Paddy Fields

in the whole Kingdom. Each Thai monarch has also been a

patron who supported rice cultivation and Thai-Siamese

farmers throughout history.


From the perspective of botanical studies, there are

species of rice growing wildly in nature. Man selected some of

those species, cultivated and developed them by selectively

breeding different species until he got new strains, best

adapted to the environment and suitable to the taste and

satisfaction of the locals in each region. Presumably, there are

hundreds of thousands of rice species consumed around the

world. In Thailand alone, the species of rice for consumption

number greater than six thousand.

The Thai rice species Pin Kaew came to worldwide

fame when it received first place for the best rice species from

the Rice World Contest in 1932. My father said that Pin Kaew is

the Na Suan species _ the species of rice that grows abudantly

well in lowland soil. Its husk is beautiful and oval in shape,

clean and polished, with no difference from those that my

father had scattered in front of me.

MAY MAY IS THE BEGINNING OF THE RICE GROWING

SEASON : FARMERS GET READY FOR ITS CULTIVATION. PADDY FIELDS ARE PLOUGHED AND

RICE SEEDS ARE PLANTED TO PRODUCE RICE SEEDLINGS. MANY FARMING RITES ARE PERFORMED.

JULY - AUGUST THE GROWING RICE IS CULTIVATED. WEEDS ARE

PULLED AND FERTILIZER APPLIED.

SEPTEMBERTHE RICE BEGINS TO RIPEN. WEEDS STILL HAVE TO BE DESTROYED. SOME MERIT-MAKING CEREMONIES

ARE PERFORMED.

OCTOBER THE RICE CONTINUES TO RIPE. THE FARMERS WELCOME THIS WITH MANY FOLK RITES : HOMAGE IS PAID TO THE RICE GODDESS BY OFFERRING HER FOOD AND FLOWERS AND PLACING A STICK WITH A PIECE OF RED CLOTH ON

IT AT THE EDGE OF THE PADDY FIELDS.

JUNE RICE CULTIVATION BEGINS; RICE SEEDS ARE SOWN FOR A DIRECT SEEDING METHOD. HOMAGE IS PAID

TO THE RICE GODDESS.

JUNE A RICE FARMING BY TRANSPLANTING METHOD ALSO

BEGINS. SEEDLINGS ARE TRANSPLANTED TO PREPARED PADDY FIELD.

F a r m e r ’ s C a l e n d a r



Today, the Pin Kaew species has been long lost through

natural catastrophes; but the rice species named khao hom

mali, or perfumed jasmine rice, has taken its place and

become known to the world as Thai rice. The species of white

jasmine rice or the perfumed jasmine of Thailand is now

popular to all consumers in Thailand and abroad. It is the most

highly demanded rice in the world market due to its status as

the highest quality rice.

For more than two decades, Thailand has reigned

continuously as the number one rice exporters in the world.

Rice from Thailand is now permeating its aroma throughout the

globe. Thus, rice has a remarkable beneficence to the country

as well as to the Thai people.

My father instructed me once again to pay respect to

the rice of the land and to Mae Phosop, the rice goddess. This

time I did as I was told without hesitation.

NOVEMBERTHE HARVEST SEASON IS NEAR. A SMALL BUNCH

OF RICE IS CUT AND BROUGHT INTO THE HOME AS A SYMBOL OF WELCOME BEFORE HARVESTING.

FEBRUARYTHE HARVESTED RICE IS TAKEN TO BE THRESHED

AND THEN IS KEPT IN A BARN. SILO OR STOREHOUSE.

DECEMBER - JANUARYTHE RICE IS READY TO BE HARVESTED, FARMERS JOIN TOGETHER TO HARVEST THE RICE SOME FOLK DANCE

ARE PERFORMED TO HONOR THIS JOYFUL TIME.

DECEMBER - JANUARYTHE RICE IS READY TO BE HARVESTED, FARMERS JOIN TOGETHER TO HARVEST THE RICE SOME FOLK DANCE

ARE PERFORMED TO HONOR THIS JOYFUL TIME.

MARCHTHE HARVEST SEASON IS OVER. SOMETIMES PADDY FIELDS ARE FERTILIZED BY PLANTING HOUSEHOLD

GARDENS IN THEM. FARM FAMILIES HAVE TIME FOR TEXTILE WEAVING OR BASKETRY.

APRILTHE BEST RICE HAS BEEN SAVED FOR THE NEXT

PLANTING SEASON. ENOUGH RICE IS KEPT FOR THE FAMILY AND THE REST IS SOLD.


The Merit of Rice The Merit of Rice


3 One day my father showed me a picture of farmers

performing a homage rite to the vast expanses of stretching

fields of golden rice ears, saying, “Farmers always pay respect

to rice to remind themselves of its grand merit.” Rice is very

beneficial to all of us. Rice not only nourishes Thai people,

filling their stomachs and bringing prosperity to them for so

long, but is also a preserved foodstuff, the root of national

security as well as signifying the economic progress of the

country.

“Do you know rice has saved our nation?” asked my

father.

How? I wondered. My father went on to retrace the

story of rice trading between Thailand and foreign countries

reaching back to the time of Sukhothai through the periods of

Ayutthaya, Thonburi, Rattanakosin and modern Bangkok, and

how rice has incessantly been an important exportation of the

country.

My father’s vivid picture portrayed a clear image of

rice barges crowded on a large river, and small and tiny

boats cruising along rivers and canals, all loaded with rice.


Thailand is the land of fertility and granary, for rice is

everywhere. In the rainy season, the whole land would be

covered with the greenery of rice paddies, and when the cool

season came, all the green would turn into golden rice

meadows.


And people plant rice everywhere in this land. It seems

as if rice is a treasure that heaven and earth had bestowed upon

Thai people. In the old days, Thai farmers planted rice paddies

with their own hands; buffaloes and oxen helped them to plough

their land. Farmers used their strength and sweat to grind rice

husks with a mortar and pestle. Today the old ways have been

replaced by iron buffaloes, engines and huge modern mill houses.

Rice has brought prosperity to Thai society and the country

continuously.


The reign of King Mongkut, or Rama IV, was considered

to be one of the golden ages of rice trading for the then Siam,

marking the inception of a change from sufficient production for

self-consumption and for one’s own family to production which

tended to be for economic commerce. It is evident that trade

between Thailand and abroad has become more prosperous than

it had ever been before. The number of Thai exported goods that

are demanded the most by foreign countries are, namely: sugar,

teak, lead, rubber and rice. The more rice can be sold to

foreigners, the greater the price it will earn. This marks the first

step of economic elevation for Thai cultivators.


Rice has become the most important Thai export, and

a crucial factor in times of war. When the world war broke out,

rice helped save Thai people during dire times. The Second

World War brought about a situation of famine and starvation

in the largest parts of the world, where people were hungry

and wanted rice. But Thailand and Thai people never ran short

of rice. At the end of the war, Thailand was aligned on the side

of the defeated, due to Thailand’s friendship with Japan. The

Allied Powers, who had won the war, forced Thailand to pay

war debt in Thai rice. Thailand was required to send 1.5 million

tons of rice annually to indemnify the war debt.


Apart from nourishing Thais through their ordeals of

survival, starvation and raging war, Thai rice saved the nation

from being vanquished. Hardship was less of a struggle, and

Thai people were saved from a doomed destiny during the war

years, thanks to rice. Thank goodness for rice! Today Thai rice

is exported to as many as 173 countries around the world, and

brings an income of almost 80 billion Baht to the country

annually. Of all exportation income, no less than 50 percent of

it comes from selling rice.

When my father finished his story, he held up his hands

in every direction to pay respect to rice.


The Magic of Rice The Magic of Rice


4 Today my father brought a variety of desserts back

home, all of which were Thai desserts. Thai desserts are made

using either glutinous or non-glutinous rice according to the

processes of old Thai wisdom and intellect. We, therefore, have

had plenty of Thai food and desserts to eat until today. Flour

is made from rice by way of grinding milled and fragmented

rice grains to a fine powder. The powder, or rice flour, is then

mixed together with coconut sugar and coconut milk.

Occasionally fruits and nuts are added. The ways of cooking

desserts are as numerous as the desserts produced.


My father cited examples of desserts made from rice

flour: khanom-taan (steamed flour mixed with fruit of palm),

khanom-kluay (flour mixed with banana), khanom-sod-sai

(assortment of stuffings). He also described those that are

made from glutinous rice, such as : khao-tom-mud (fried before

steamed glutinous rice in banana leafs), khao-neo-piag

(boiled glutineous rice with sugar and coconut milk), khao-

neo-tad (dried and cooked glutineous rice with sugar) and

khao-neo-mune (steamed and stirred glutineous rice in

coconut milk). Kuay-tiew (noodles), sen-mee (vermicelli

noodles), kuay-jab (flat short rolled noodles), khanom-jeen

(boiled vermicelli noodles) are all noodle products made from

rice flour.

My father said that processing rice is a typical Thai way

of food preservation. In those days, when one set out for a long

journey or went to war, banana leaf parcels of khao-tak (dried

rice crackers), khao-tou (dried and ground rice sweetened),

khao-mao (popped rice) were put in thei, a purse tied around

the waist, which could be long kept for meals along the way.

The magic of rice that the elder Thai people used in making


desserts by means of adaptation has been passed on from

generation to generation, and up to now is still plentliful.

Examples can be seen in the desserts which eggs are the main

ingredient: some influenced by westerners, as in tong-yod

(eggdrops sweets) or khanom-mo-kaeng (custard pudding),

while others were influenced by the Chinese, such as khanom-

jan-up and khanom-pia (Chinese cakes), and still others were

made from mixing rice flour with another kind of flour, such as

tapioca, resulting in a delicious dessert called khanom-chun

(steamed layered cake). Thai desserts are not eaten solely as

snacks.

In the past, Thai desserts played an important role

as offerings in rites, rituals and traditions, as seen in the

propitiation of spirits, gods and deities, the ceremony

honouring teachers, conferring morale, merit festivities as well

as sacred offerings. Such desserts are khao-tog (popped rice

and flowers), kra-ya-sart (rice, bean, sesame and sugar

cooked in a sticky paste), khao-tip (sacred rice), khanom-tom

(stuffed glutinous rice rolls), khao-tom-luk-yone (steamed



glutinous rice wrapped in banana leafs), etc.. Apart from

making desserts, which bring joy to children and adults, as well

as deities, Thai people have even more ways to prepare rice.

For example as when rice ears are unripe, milk inside them

can be made into khao-ya-ku (milk extracted from unripe rice

boiled with sugar), while paddy grains can be fermented to be

ou (rice wine), sathoe (rice beer) and lao-khao (white spirits).

These are indispensable for all rites and festivities from the

moment of birth to death.


Today my father and I ate a number of Thai desserts. I

felt that they were refreshing, soothing and cooling to my

heart. My father told me that the benefits of rice are beyond

words. Rice has both nutritional and commercial qualities.

Nutritionists’ analyses reveal that rice grains contain water, fat,

protein, carbohydrates, mineral, salt and a number of vitamins

advantageous to the body, when compared to other plant

seeds. Rice is full of vitamins, salt and fibers, and, therefore, is

highly nutritious for human health. Khao-klong, or husked rice,

is a good example. It is brown coloured rice that has only been

husked, remaining unpolished, and still maintaining the bran

filled with vitamins, minerals and fibers useful to human health

and medical treatment.


His Majesty the King bestowed a royal address on

khao-klong to the press at the Royal Development Project in

Prachinburi Province on December 18th, 1998:

“Rice of this colour is nutritious. Khao-klong, husked

rice, is hardly consumed by most Thai people, who considering

it as the poor man’s rice. Khao-klong is good for health. White

rice grains are beautiful, but all the best qualities have been

removed. Some say that the poor eat khao-klong. We eat

khao-klong every day; therefore, we are poor.”

My father said that in the past khao-klong was cheap.

It was fed to prisoners and was known as khao-daeng or red

rice. But now, once people discovered that khao-klong is full of

vitamins and minerals, and has the highest nutritional value, it

has become a rice of quality whose price is rising as it is

increasingly in demand in the rice market today. Now rice

supplements and instant rice are readily available, like ready-

to-eat jasmine rice in cans, precooked plain rice, and dried

instant congee or rice porridge in packages, for instance.

Likewise, food supplement products are abundant, ranging


from husked rice mixed with bean, corn and khao-ya-ku, and

a number of shampoos to brand new crispy snacks, many of

which are produced from rice. Besides, rice bran can be

extracted for cooking oil. At the same time, it can be mixed

with oil to make a body lotion for skin enrichment.

Having listened to what my father expounded on the

magical benefits of rice, I got up and said I’d go and take a

bath.

My father’s voice echoed from behind. “Try the soap

made from bran oil if you like. I’d just bought one. It’s already

there in the bathroom.”

What’s a surprise! I thought.


His Majesty the King graciously proceeding with the act of cutting rice grains in an area in front of Somdej Phra Srisuriyothai Monument at Phukhao Thong Field, Ayutthaya Province.

Rice and the Thai Monarch Rice and the Thai Monarch


5 In the land which is now the Kingdom of Thailand,

the institution of the monarchy has existed for over a thousand

years. The King is the head of social state. The term “king”,

according to Indian beliefs, refers to a warrior, whereas in the

Thai sense, the word signifies “king” - a man who owns his

kingdom in which he is the Lord of Life to all his subjects, as

well as the Lord Protector, protecting them from danger. In

another sense, the king is a semi-deity similar to a god whom

people worship, praise and accept as the supreme ruler of the

land and people.


The inst i tut ion of the monarchy has a di rect

responsibility to govern and protect the land and people in the

kingdom, seeing to it that they have a peaceful life and welfare

in their settlements and farmlands. As King and Lord Protector,

the monarchy is therefore related significantly to lands and

paddy fields in the whole kingdom. Thai kings have been

undertaking such responsibilities throughout Thai history. Being

Lord of the Land, Patron of Paddy Fields or Lord of Agriculture,

every Thai king from the Kingdoms of Lanna, Sukhothai down

to Ayutthaya, Thonburi and the current Rattanakosin has

recognized the importance of rice farming and agriculture.

The king protected lands and paddy fields to the fullest,

resulting in peace, safety and freedom from danger, and

justifyingly divided the land among his subjects according to

their status and ranks; at the same time, he was the judge to

prevent injustice and exploitation if there was a dispute among

his subjects. Still, the king conferred kindness to his people,


Her Majesty the Queen symbolically cutting the leaf of rice for the blessing of Mae Phosop _ the Rice goddess at Sibuatong Subdistric, Swangha Distric, Angthong Province, dated August 9 th, 2008

who had perseverance in hard-working development of rice

cultivation and farming their lands by giving them moral

support and encouragement. Hence, the role of the government

and the king from the old days through the early Rattanakosin

Period, most of all, was the management of the system of

paddy field tenants, and the expansion of lands for rice

cultivation to increase productivity by means of digging canals

for irrigation.


H.R.H. Crown Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn sowing rice seedlings into the experimental field of the Chulachomkhao Royal Military Academy, Nakorn Nayok Province, dated August 6th, 2008


His Royal Highness the Crown Prince presiding over the Rice Planting Ceremony, and sowing rice seeds into the agricultural rice field at Bangngam Subdistric, Sriprachant Distric, Suphanburi Province. dated July 31st, 2000

An enormous change occurred in the reign of King

Chulalongkorn, or Rama V. The reformation of the country in

his reign, especially in the domain of agriculture, marked

a first step for a new way of life, a new world of rice and of

Thai farmers. The king inaugurated a new ministry up to

His Majesty’s visit to the people at Huay Tung Jor and Mon Aung Gate, Mae Taeng Distric, Chiang Mai Province, accompanied by H.R.H. Crown Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and H.R.H. Princess Chulaporn, dated February 14th, 1998


international standards, especially for the development of rice

and rice cultivation. That was the Ministry of Agriculture. This

reign was also the beginning of the development of rice and

rice cultivation following modern agricultural science. New

canals were dug to create new irrigation systems in many

areas. Included was an attempt to seek good new species of

rice for planting to enrich rice quality.

To the very end, land title deeds were issued to certify

ownership and protect the rights of land tenants, who could

corporeally and truly do their rice farming, which encouraged

their enthusiasm in building a new life. Many parts of the

country in that period had therefore become specifically suited

for rice cultivation. Rice productivity for self-consumption

developed to become an economic commerce. This was a

crucial step towards world trade. Bangkok became one of the

largest world rice markets during the reign of King Rama V.

Having listened to what my father narrated about the

Thai king and Thai rice attentively and enthusiastically, I had a

heart felt appreciation of His Majesty’s generosity.


Thai Royal Ploughing Ceremony

Thai Royal Ploughing Ceremony

I only knew a little about the Royal Ploughing

Ceremony, because today the ceremony was broadcast live on

television from Sanam Luang. I saw a man in the attire of a

god ploughing the field, young maiden queens of the ceremony

carrying rice baskets on their shoulders and royal oxen

foretelling the season by eating grass. Save those, I knew

nothing at all.


6


Today my father told me the story of the Royal

Ploughing Ceremony. He said the tasks of the Thai king from

ancient times were not only the promotion of rice cultivation

and others relating to rice and farmers, as earlier mentioned,

but that another significant task for him was also to support

morale and give encouragement to all rice farmers in the entire

kingdom. The Royal Ploughing Ceremony was regarded as a

significant royal function for the King to give spiritual support

to his subjects, who were rice cultivators and agriculturalists. It

has existed since the time of the Sukhothai Kingdom.

In view of the fact that the King as Lord of Agriculture

or Lord of Paddy Fields was concerned about the obstacles of

rice planting caused by natural uncertainties of climate and

environment, such as storms, droughts, floods or even attacks

from insects and inflectious diseases that could bring damage

to crops, the ancient ceremony to boost morale was therefore

held, and has become a traditional practice since then.

The ceremony was crucial because the king performed

the deed himself, or appointed a representative to undertake


the auspicious ploughing on his behalf. This could be

considered a royal function that brought the king closest to his

subjects. It reveals that the king had neither forgotten nor

neglected the plough handle, considering it as the most

important tool of the nation, and its importance was far

more than that of any other weapon or royal decoration

medal. The Ploughing Ceremony thus signifies the honour of all

rice farmers.


Originally, the Royal Ploughing Ceremony was a

Brahmin Ceremony. Later on, during the reign of King Mongkut,

or Rama IV, Buddhist elements were added under the King’s

command, and it came to be known as the Propitious

Vegetation Ceremony, as to bless the seeds of all vegetation.

Eventually the two ceremonies were combined into one and

shared the same name of the Royal Ploughing Ceremony.

In the reign of King Rama IV, the events of the two

ceremonies were performed separately. The Propitious

Vegetation ceremony took place at Sanam Luang, whereas the


Ploughing Ceremony was undertaken in the Field of Sompoi, on

the outskirts of the city. Their functions occurred at the same

auspicious time and on the same day, began by Lord of the

Ploughing Ceremony together with four maiden queens

attending to Buddhist monks’ prayers and blessings inside the

pavilion. Then the Lord of the Ploughing would address His

Majesty and invite him to inaugurally proceed with the act of

the Ploughing Ceremony. The Lord of the Ploughing Ceremony

was appointed by the king to undertake the ceremony on the

King’s behalf for the sake of auspiciousness and for a good

model to all his subjects.

In the Rattanakosin Period, one of the prominent kings

who acted himsel f as Lord of Agricu ltu re was King

Chulalongkorn, or Rama V. The trading of Thai rice grew

rapidly as a result of the reformation of the country following

King Rama V’s approval of the western norms in developing

paddy cultivation to a systematically exported good, having

considered that rice would become the most significant

exportation to the outside world.


Also in this reign, there was a promotion and

encouragement of the increase of rice production by means of

expanding lands for cultivations in many areas. In addition,

over ten canals were excavated to supply irrigation and

provide a means of communication, part icu la r ly in

Chachoengsao and suburban Bangkok. There was also an

initiation of railway transportation, including the reforming of

governmental systems, as seen in the establishment of the

Ministry of Agriculture in place of the Rice Paddy Department,

as previously mentioned.


Furthermore, the King supported the organization of

the Rice Contest to acquire good rice species for rice farmers so

that their cultivation would bring them more income, as well

as technological analysis that would enable more rice

production and increase the quality of Thai rice as a whole.

King Chulalongkorn was the sovereign who acknowledged the

true significance of the Royal Ploughing Ceremony.

The Royal Ploughing Ceremony in his reign was

organized at the Royal Phya Thai Paddy Fields. The King

commanded the Phya Thai Palace to be constructed in 1909


and used it as a place to witness rice and vegetation plantings

as well as chicken farmings following the standards He had

seen from foreign countries. In the period of construction, the

King graciously allowed an area in front of the residential

building to be used as a paddy field, and there a barn was also

built for the use of the Royal Ploughing Ceremony. As soon as

the r ice planting season began, Her Majesty Queen

Sribhajarindha headed high ranking members of the royal

family to inaugurate the rice planting Herself.

King Chulalongkorn had the true acknowledgement

of rice and farmers as seen in the setting-up of the Rice

Experiment Station at Rangsit Canal, or from a Thai rice

species awarded the best rice species of the world in

subsequent reigns. This reveals the fact that the Thai rice trade

had gained a standard of quality recognized by the

international market. It could be said that every Thai king of

the Chakri Dynasty of the Rattanakosin Period has

acknowledged the significance of Thai rice and Thai farmers

consistently.

My father told me to be grateful to the kindness of all

Kings of the Chakri Dynasty.


His Majesty the King graciously presiding over the Royal Ploughing Ceremony at the ceremonial precinct at Sanam Luang, dated May 10th,1968

Thai Farmers’ Spirit of Life

Thai Farmers’ Spirit of Life


7 “Glory, Glory, blessed is today,

Come Mae Phosop, rice goddess, come ye may,

Come now to the barn, come ye stay,

Let thy spirit not go away…”

My father acted a little strangely today, humming a

song like a prayer as a requisite to the ritual of the farmers’

rice spirit tales. Today my father’s story was about traditional

ways of life for most Thai farmers in the old days. In my mind

I saw a picture as if it was real; the smell of incense and

candles, flowers and bai-sri, an offering of cooked rice topped

with a boiled egg, the scent lofting over the vast and stretching

fields.


I imagined a picture of farmers strolling along the

furrows, and oxen and buffaloes tied to yokes ploughing the

fields. When the rain came, the soil turned soft with water,

paddy seeds would be sown in the watery soil. The seeds

would gradually grow into rice sprouts and farmers would

transplant them in paddy fields. Approximately four months’

time passed, and it was then that the blossom of golden rice

ears would cover the fields, and the melody of rice fields

overflown by the whispering breezes through the dancing leafs

of rice stalks seemed as waves moving continuously towards

the horizon.

Farmers with large brimmed hats bent over sickles,

cutting rice stalks, placing them together on their courtyards,

threshing to separate the grains from the stalks, drying the

grains before having them stored in barns, and pictures of oxen

and buffaloes, haystacks, windmills and harvest songs were all

the symbols of Thai farmers’ lives in those days.

“The Royal Ploughing Ceremony as told by my father

was an official ceremony that related to the government and

the king. However, formerly farmers also had their own

ploughing rituals - some for an individual family, others for the

community.” My father concluded that rituals associated with

rice and rice cultivation comprised of both official and

unofficial rites.

Similarly, the farmers’ ploughing ritual in general

was often held in the sixth lunar month, following the

royal ceremony. Most of the farmers’ rituals were simple

undertakings. When propitiatory offerings, a votive prayer and

blessings were made to gods and spirits associated with rice

cultivation, such as the guardian spirit of land, Mae Phosop,


or the rice goddess, Mae Thoranee, or Mother Earth, and

rice-field and farm spirits, or Ta-hag spirit, the ploughing of

three rounds were then begun as a token of the ceremony, and

that was all. In certain regions, the ritual performance might

vary slightly, such as the fire rockets, which is an important

custom of the Isan people and Isan farmers in the north-east.

It was a spectacular phenomenon to all the north-eastern folk

as a celebration to gain self-confidence before the coming

season of rice planting.

In the early days, farmers always performed their

rituals in relation to rice and rice cultivation according to

traditional beliefs and self-regard. These rituals would

commence before the rice planting season began and continue

during the time between the planting through the harvest’s

end. Following the harvest, rice grains would be stored in

barns, and the festivities would go on almost the whole year.

My father referred to these customs and beliefs as the

“Rice Culture”. The rice culture is Thai farmers’ way of life. It

has been a part of their lives, spirits and souls since the



ancient times. Thai people and Thai farmers believe that land,

water, wind, sky and woods have deities dwelling in them.

Likewise, rice also has its own spirit, flesh and bone that are

visible. And whoever conducts themselves well will be

recompensed with goodness. This coincides with an expression

of “a good prayer and a good offering, a plentiful crop”.


In each region, Thai farmers have their own rituals

relating to rice and rice cultivation; most of them are alike

whether they be a sacred offering, a begging for forgiveness, a

worship, a prayer, a prediction, an announcement, entrusting,

inviting and blessing of spirits-these are all performed with a

well-wish and hope that rice will grow well, free from disease,

and bring a fruitful crop. Such rites and rituals are meant to

fulfil and create self-confidence and stability for Thai farmers

Offerings for spirits to prevent rice from pests in Nan Province


both in their work and their way of life. They also represent

humility, respect and prosperity, and most of all abundant

crops, which they all wish for. Even when rice ears began to

grow, farmers would perform a ritual to bless the spirit of

Mae Phosop, the rice goddess, indicating that they cherished

their rice crops the most.

Rice has a life and spirit in it that needs to be cared for

so that the spirit would not leave it. Even oxen and buffaloes,

whose merit was great to them, received blessings. Farmers

prayed and made offerings to the spirits of fields, homes and

their ancestors. Additionally, they blessed the spirits of fields,

rice, barns and domestic animals, as well as important tools

and the environment that helped rice crops grow well, and

when the harvest brought an abundant crop, they would make

a votive offering or alms offering and donation along with

celebrations both at home and at a temple. Making merit with

Buddhist monks, who are the Lord Buddha’s disciples, is a

traditional adaptation of Thai farmers to be aligned with

Buddhism, in which they had particular faith.


Having heard my father’s narration of farmers’ rites

and rituals of all seasons, my heart felt overwhelmed, as if I

were listening to prayers and sermons and music echoing from

festive folk - plays as the beating sounds of tapon (a tuned two

- faced drum) and klong - yao (a long single - headed drum)

accompanied by sor (fiddle), kan (reed mouth organ) and

ranaad (xylophone) along with the rhythmic sound of clapping

hands and the melody of harvest songs whose lyrics told of

courting lovers. These are the sounds of life and the past

centuries of Thai farmers up until now. Even if some families

and communities might perform such rituals less frequently,

most still do them today.


The rice culture in the old days was regarded as the

system of organization of rural communities and farmers’ society

that enabled them to rely on one another and care for each

other selflessly, with no greed or exploitation, apart from

enjoyment and self-sufficiency. In addition, it taught that we

had to accept the truth of natural balances in relation to living

creatures; we should live together in harmony and in peace, as

a giver and a receiver, and should know how to preserve what

should be preserved and what dangers that we should be aware of.

The Thai rice culture shown in all traditional rites and

rituals reflects attitudes and beliefs of Thai farmers and Thai

people in their good governance and morality, their gratitude

and precautions, humility and respect for the natural

environment and never neglecting those beneficents.

“Farmers always acknowledge the merit of rice. Rice is

life to all Thais,” said my father finally. “Those who know not

the past, nor are grateful, the ancients’ rebuke as: To feed

them rice is a waste.”

I was startled. Did my father have contempt for me or

someone else?

The Spirit of Rice and the Spirit of the Land

The Spirit of Rice and the Spirit of the Land


8 “We wonder when we have such an abundance

of rice why the price is low. It should be better to have plenty

of it so that we who consume rice can buy it cheaply. In fact,

we could not know that consumed rice today is expensive. It’s

a hardship of the population as a whole. We have to find out

reasons why the price of consumed rice is high and paddies

sold by farmers are cheap…

…Approaching farmers, we inquired as to what was

going on; they said it’s terrible that the rice price was low. We

asked whether they had a barn to store rice; they said yes. So

we suggested them to keep rice in the barn when rice was in


over supply in the market, without realizing why they could not

keep it even if they did have a barn because they were in debt…

…The reason why they were in debt was because of

clothing, shrimp paste, fish sauce or even the rice they ate. If

not buying those things from the market or buying them

collectively, it was the rice traders who supplied all those to

them. And this led to the debasing of the rice price; paddies

were cheap while milled rice was expensive…

…The point was that farmers had planted rice all

through the year, but they had to eat. When they had to eat,

they had to buy provisions, and they had to buy them on

credit. For those provisions, it was the rice traders who

provided a service to the farmers, saying there was no need to

pay right away but after the harvest was done. However, the

provisions on credit were more expensive, for they were

delivered to their doorsteps. Rice ready to sell was at a low

price because the rice traders came to buy it directly on the

spot. This was really a crucial problem…”

The address by the present King expressing His concern

and profound acknowledgement of the farmers’ problems was

conferred at Thammasat University when the King paid a visit

to play music on Saturday 6th, March 1971, revealing:

When the country and the world had sustained

changes through the course of time and periods, Thailand

could not escape from such changes during the past several

decades.

Especially, it was the Thai farmers’ lives that

encountered the greatest change. The lives of Thai farmers had

been most affected from alterations after the Second World

War, when the world underwent “the green revolution”

through technology and new scientific procedures that caused


changes to lands, paddy fields and crops from the ways they

once were. The ancient ways of life in the traditional

communities of those farmers had gone as if the wind of no

return had blown through the rice fields.

What Thai farmers have to face in the present-day

world is a huge innovation that challenges them, such as new

species of rice, new products like chemical fertilizer and modern

agricultural machineries effective on the re-adjudgement to all


Talismatic drawings from the Thai Manuscript on Khoi paper_the prototype for a farmer’s drawings on a piece of white cloth used as a flag stuck in a rice field to ward off aphids, worms and insects.


rice cultivation and techniques. To begin with, the process of

planting, harvesting, threshing, as well as the new system of

cultivating, enables rice farmers to grow rice several times a

year. Moreover, there is a new market system of rice trading

which farmers do not understand and have never caught up to.

All those are worse than the insects and diseases

which were faced by farmers in the past. The result was that

within a number of decades, the majority of Thai farmers’

careers suffered a decline. Most modern Thai farmers struggle

in hardship and poverty. They have debts and are under the

condition of “social bankruptcy”. No matter how hard they

work, their income is never adequate for daily expenditure.

Meanwhile, their debts increase as they are forced to invest

more, but they still sustain losses again and again.

Once the old rice culture had altered and was no

longer the same, the relationship among farmers’ communities

could no more remain unchanged. Farmers needed capital

fund for investment, starting with the hiring of ploughing

machines in place of oxen and buffaloes, labour for planting


rice, threshing, milling and transporting, and the buying of

chemical fertilizer and pesticides, including the sums to be

spent on necessary equipment and perhaps even the rent of

paddy fields. These were all accumulated loan debt they had

to burden.

Apart from being an obligor to the bank, loans taken

by most farmers came from rice traders, the middlemen who

came to buy rice grains. Ultimately, farmers had to pay both

capital and interest on their rice crops. The rice traders and

some groups of capitalists who owned mill houses often forced

down the rice price and took advantage of the farmers who

were unable to free themselves from debt and to have a good

quality of life.

In addition, when the world changed, ecological

systems had been destroyed and nature lost its balances.

Natural resources were being used up while polluting toxins

increased. Soil had lost its fertility as it once had due to

deforestation, leading to droughts and inundations, all of which

seemed like a fatal strike on the destiny of Thai farmers,

dooming them to a life of worsening poverty.


News of farmers migrating to big cities, farmers leaving

their farmlands, farmers’ communities falling apart and

farmers’ family ties being broken are all stories we often hear

these days. Farmers whose backs to the sky and faces to the

ground, regarded as the backbones of the nation are now

enduring suffering. Since the farmers’ suffering is the suffering

of the land, the King as “Lord of Agriculture” is unable to

remain silent.

The royal address by His Majesty King Bhumibol, as

cited in the beginning, reveals that He had taken deeply into

his consideration the state of farmers’ lives in the present time.

The King’s task is virtually like that of the Spirit of Rice and the

Spirit of the Land. And the “Father of the Land” was the origin

of “Father’s Rice”.

“Father’s Rice” said my father to me with a delightful

mien.

The Paddy Field - Spirit of the Field

The Paddy Field - Spirit of the Field


9

Today my father took me to see the Royal Ploughing

Ceremony at Sanam Luang. I learned from him that the man

who dressed like a deity, wearing a top-spiring hat and a

gown, was the Lord of the Royal Ploughing Ceremony,

appointed by His Majesty the King. I also learned that the

golden and silver baskets carried on the shoulders of the four

maiden queens contained auspicious rice grains.


This was “the Royally Initiated Rice Grains” for the

special use in the Royal Ploughing Ceremony. The Ceremony

had been organized at the ceremonial precinct in front of the

royal pavilion among a dense crowd comprised of farmers,

agriculturalists and the general public of men and women, old

and young, all full heartedly attending the ceremony. Even

foreigners were interested in witnessing the ceremony.

I saw the Lord of the Royal Ploughing take the royal

oxen to be tied to yokes, plough the soil through procedures,

then sow rice grains in the furrows and finally lead the oxen for

prediction by letting them choose to eat ceremonial food,

witnessed by Brahmins, the court astrologers.


“This year the oxen ate grass; therefore, water will be

plentiful,” my father said to me delightedly.

As soon as the ceremony was over, I was so exited to

see people, men and women rushing to the ploughed plots

eager to collect rice grains to take back home. Some would put

them on their altars for auspiciousness; others would mix them

with their own for the year’s cultivation.


“Those are rice grains that our King has planted in his

experimental field at the Chitralada Palace,” my father told

me. “There is only one King in the world who grows rice, and,

especially, that has a paddy field inside the royal residential

compound.”

I never would have imagined such a thing, and would

like very much to see what such a paddy field looks like. On

the way home, my father told me that the Royal Ploughing

Ceremony we had seen today was revived in 1960 under the

command of the present monarch. It had been paused after

the transformation of the governmental system between 1936

and 1958. Only the Propitious Vegetation Ceremony had

continued in the Chapel of the Emerald Buddha Temple.

The revival of the Royal Ploughing Ceremony in the

present reign not only brought about auspiciousness to

vegetation and encouraged morale and spiritual support for all

cultivators, as it did in ancient times; the ceremony was also

modified up to the Royal surveillance for the suitability of the

period with a major emphasis on the farmers’ significance. In


addition, His Majesty the King decreed that the Royal Ploughing

Ceremony Day of every year be “Farmers’ Day”. Actually, the

ceremony consisted of two rituals, namely: the Propitious

Vegetation and the Royal Ploughing.

The Propitious Vegetation Ceremony was performed to

bless all vegetation - paddy, glutinous rice, sorghums, maize,

beans, sesames, taros, potatoes and others so that all would

grow well, free from diseases, insects and other kinds of pests.

As for the Royal Ploughing, the ceremony was presided over by

the King or by a representative appointed on His behalf, and

was celebrated prior to that of the farmers’ ceremonies,

performed by the farmers themselves.


The mural painting of the Royal Ploughing Ceremony at Phra Buddha Ratana Stan in the Grand Palace


A mural painting of the Buddhist Ploughing Ceremony at Wat Rajapradit in Bangkok

The Royal Ploughing ceremony signalled the arrival of

the rainy season, hinting that the rice planting was about to

begin. Moreover, the Propitious Vegetation and the Royal

Ploughing Ceremony in the present reign were truly regarded as

the “The Paddy Field - Spirit of the Field” to all Thai farmers.

When the King commenced the Project of the Royally

Initiated Rice Grains to be planted in His private residential

compound for the special use in the Royal Ploughing

Ceremony, and once the paddy grains became fruitful, they


were distributed according to tradition to all of his subjects,

who were genera l ly fa rmers. “The Chitra lada Roya l

Experimental Rice Field” is a witness to the King’s compassion

for all Thai farmers.

When my father and I arrived home, we heard the

sound of thunder.

“Is it going to rain, father?” I asked.

With confidence he nodded. “Of course, it certainly

will rain because the King ploughed the field today.”

No sooner than my father finished his remarks, rain

began to pour down. It rained until the land became moist

and soft, as the significant task of the farmers and the nation

was about to begin.

I stood gazing at the sky and rain with a blissful heart.

The Auspicious Species of Rice

The Auspicious Species of Rice


10

“We had opportunities to study and experiment

with rice cultivation, and we realized that cultivating rice is

somewhat difficult, for it needs a good rice species as well as

sound theory so that the outcome would be fruitful …”

The above speech delivered by the King in 1962

revealed his concern about the hardship of farmers.


His Majesty the King and His Royal Highness Prince Vajiralongkorn (the then title) witnessing the iron-buffalo and agricultural activities at Chitralada, Dusit Palace

Watching the heavy rainfall, my father asked me,

“Have you ever imagined that there is a paddy field in the

palace?” My father then showed me pictures from a book.

They were pictures of a green paddy field, a rice mill and a

stack of golden rice grains, which made me truly amazed.

“This is the King’s experimental paddy field in the Chitralada

Palace with the Royally Initiated Rice Grains for farmers, and

for use in the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, as we witnessed,”

explained my father.


As a matter of fact, the King graciously revived the

Royal Ploughing Ceremony in 1960, and the following year, in

1961, “the Royally Initiated Rice Grains” commenced under

His command. In regard to this, he decreed Nang-Mol, the rice

species presented to him by the Department of Rice, to be

planted in the palace field so that its yielded grains could be

used in the Royal Ploughing Ceremony the following year in

place of the old species, which had been prepared by the Rice

Department itself. And that was the origin of the paddy field in

the Chitralada Palace.

The Royal Paddy Field covers an area of approximately

1,000 square metres. In the preparation of paddy plots, on July

1st, 1961 the King commanded M.R. Debriddhi Devakul (M.R.

initial for Mom Rajawong: a royal title which is addressed to a

great – grand child of a king) to use an “iron-buffalo” with an

8.5 horsepower engine for the special undertaking of rice

planting. He also suggested improvements to the “iron-

buffalo”, making it a model suitable for practical use to be

produced in Thailand. Moreover, the King drove the iron-

buffalo Himself to plough the field and sow the paddy grains.


Later, during the time of rice ears, he also ordered that the

Rice Spirit Ceremony be performed on October 27th, 1961,

according to the ancient tradition.

In performing such a ceremony, Mae Phosop, the Rice

Goddess’ shrine together with a nine-tier canopy made from

rice stalks were built apart from the decoration of multi-

coloured flags around the field. There was also a composition

of a song for the Rice Goddess, the same as done in ancient

times, including an offering of pot-pourri for her bath and a

trimming of her paddy-leaf hairs. This was a strategy that was

in line with academic theory.

It was the colourful, decorative flags that chased

away birds which came to eat paddies in the field, and in the

case of the trimming of paddy leafs, it was a means of

preventing paddy stalks from having thick leafs, resulting in a

low crop bearing.

“You see, His Majesty the King has never neglected the

ancient tradition. He has a deep understanding of the farmers’

traditions,” my father said with a gleeful voice. “Besides, what


you should know is that the King has cut the grains from the

paddy field himself.”

I still recall the picture of people rushing to collect

paddy grains on the Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day, and I now

understand that the Auspicious Rice Species was matter-of-

factly the “Father’s Rice”.

At present, the experimental paddy field is on the side

of Sri Ayutthaya Road, opposite Nang Loeng Horse Racing

Stadium, officially called Ratchathinnamai. The experimental

project is a royal project which the Bangkhen Experimental

Rice Station, Department of Agriculture (the then Department

of Rice) had implemented following the King’s initiative.

A yearly cultivating cycle at the experimental field at

Chitralada is a na-suan or lowland rice transplanting, and

highland rice cultivation in the rainy season. After the harvest

in the dry season, the vegetation of beans is planted for crop

rotation. The rice species planted here are divided into two

categories:

Selected Rice Species : consists of the best selected

rice quality from various species that had been separated for

transplantation and harvest. With royal permission, the rice

crop would be distributed for further species reproductions by

the Experimental Rice Station of the Department of Rice before

being passed on to all farmers to be planted throughout the

kingdom.

Principal Rice Species : qualifying rice species are

selected for appropriate regional cultivation over the country,

comprising of both glutinous and non-glutinous rice, either

na-suan, the lowland rice or na-muang, the rice that’s fluffy

when cooked.

Today the experimental paddy field at Chitralada

applies three methods of planting.


The Lowland Rice Planting : is the rice transplantation

in a watery lowland area of 3.6 rai of mainly 8 principal

species, all of which are standardized and promoted to be

planted by farmers in each region of the country. Included are

the demonstration fields of the government’s forty-eight rice

species. To promote the study of rice planting implementation

in the rainy season for the first crop of the year, special paddy

plots are arranged as part of the education of Chitralada

students to learn how to transplant rice each year.

The Highland Rice Planting : is the planting of paddy

seeds in highland fields of approximately 1.2 rai. The rice

species used include glutinous and non-glutinous rice; all are

qualified species promoted to all farmers for cultivation.

The Rice Field Shifting Agriculture : involves vegetation

of the bean family being rotated, such as green bean, soybean

and peanut, all of which are planted after the harvest’s end to

enrich the soil. It is also a demonstration of shifting agriculture

following the harvest to encourage the utmost usage of land

year round. For the crop of bean seeds, the Department of

Agricultural Promotion distributes them to farmers the same as

they did with “the Royally Initiated Rice Grains.”


Aside from the Project of Royal Experimental Rice Field,

the King also initiated other projects related to rice, e.g. the

Project of Chitralada Centrifugal Force Mill and the Project of

Husk Grinding Plant. In order to study factual details on the mill

and the cost of milling, the King had established a mill house

as an exponent and allowed the royal household officials to

form a co-operative with his own cash advancement of a

hundred thousand Baht to begin the first stage of the project.

In this regard, the Chitralada mill house could run a business of

buying paddies at a fair price; the milled rice in turn could be

sold at a low price.


The mill house made use of the centrifugal force system

for which M.R. Debriddhi had sought out an appropriate model

since 1968. And the construction was completed after three

years. It eventually became the model for other small mill

houses in rural villages; the Co-operative Community of Oaw

Luek District, Krabi Province and the Study Centre for Rural

Development at Khao Hin Son, Chachoengsao Province.

His Majesty the King presided over the opening

ceremony of the demonstration mill house on May 7th, 1971.

The mill house could increase the value of rice production,

preserve forests and make use of the left-over waste for the

highest benefit. In 1975, the King had the husk grinding plant

built nearby the mill house. The plant experimented in grinding

husk with dehydrated water hyacinths in compressed pieces to

be burnt to charcoal. Included were experiments in mingling

grinded husk with chemical fertilizer and manure to create a

variety of fertilizing formulae which were sold at a reasonable

price and apparently became quite popular.


In 1998, His Majesty the King funded a 6.82 million

Baht project for the construction of a mill-house whose

capacity was 60 metric tons of paddies a day, situated at Non

Sila Leung, Gong Chai, Kalasin Province, and He named it the

Royally Initiated Rice Mill. Once the construction was

completed, members of a co-operative community were

allowed to handle the management, from selecting species for

planting, adapting traditional ways of cultivating by means of

using less chemical fertilizer but more organic ones to preserve

the environment and encouraging young generations to return

to farmlands without having to sell their labour in big cities

and abroad.

His Majesty the King graciously witnessing the operation of the Exemplary Rice Mill at Chitralada, Dusit Palace


After the harvest, rice crops would be sold to the

Royally Initiated Rice Mill, whose management was assisted by

a private company for their marketing expertise and for the

expansion of rice productivity in order to meet the market

demand, as well as for the increase of rice value so that Thai

rice could be exported to foreign countries such as the USA,

Australia and some European countries. The rice products from

the Royally Initiated Rice Mill were of high quality, free from

impurities, and were graded and packed in attractive

packages, also classifying the varieties.

The Project of Experimental Rice Field at Chitralada,

the Project of Husk Grinding Plant and the Project of Royally

Initiated Rice Mill are those among many other royal projects

that reveal the King’s earnest compassion for all Thai farmers.

It was still raining, refreshing our hearts. The rain from

heaven to earth is metaphorically a flowing compassion of His

Majesty the King to his subjects, who are farmers, throughout

the kingdom.


Royal Rain Royal Rain

“Looking up at the sky, there are clouds. Why are

there such clouds? How could clouds be brought down? We

have heard of it - the theory of rain making. We mentioned to

M.R. Debriddhi that rain could be made. There was a book

about it. We read from it that rain making could be possible.”

Those were the King’s remarks, showing that he was

trying to find a way to alleviate the problem of drought for his

subjects. In the old days when there was a drought, farmers

did not know who to turn to, save praying to sacred entities

and gods in heaven. They even begged for rain to a mother

cat, believing that when she cried, it would rain.


11


The Cat Procession begging for rain

“Oh Mother Cat…, please give us some heavenly rain.

May blessed water pour on thy head.

Pouring down, pouring, pouring down.

Falling rain, falling, falling rain.

Falling enough for paddy fields.

Falling not over for sculling boats …”

I laughed when my father acted a caricature as if in

the procession of begging the mother cat for rain and sang

those lyrics to me. I told him that I had never seen such a

procession before. My father told me that the cat procession in

general, or the Isan’s Taw Nang Maew, is another ritual of Thai

people in every region to pray for rain. It is believed that the

cat is a sacred animal, and if a cat is celebrated in a

procession, rain will fall.

Paddies without rain and fields without water are a

critical situation for Thai farmers. Therefore, the ritual of

praying for rain and the beliefs related to rain and water are a

part of the rice culture and are indispensable, especially in the

days when farmers believed that rain came from heaven and

sacred entities, whether they be the begging for rain from a

feline entity, Phraya Thaen, the Mother Earth, Phraya Plachon,

Pla - Ko, and Phraya Kan - Kak which is believed to be one

of the Buddha’s former lives.

Likewise, the Bun Bang Fai, or the Fire Rockets, is one

of the most spectacular north-eastern or Isan rituals, consisting

of the procession of fire rockets and Isan folk dances, and

today is still fun filled. This is a ritual that Isan people and

farmers perform in order to beg for rain from a deity named

Phraya Thaen, as it is believed that Phraya Thaen is one of the

deities who can bring forth rain at the right time in the season

together with an abundance of fish and crops.



The Cat Procession begging for rain at Sriprachant Distric, Suphanburi Province

“Our King, however, can make rain, do you know

about that?” inquired my father.

I quickly nodded. “Of course father. The Royal rain,

the King’s rain.”

The Bun Bung Fai or Fire Rockets, the most spectacular Isan or North-Eastern ritual celebrated in order to beg for rain (Roi-et Province)


My father said that the King’s earlier remarks led to

artificial or royal rain in later periods. The King’s consideration

for the Project of the Royal Rain, in other words, the artificial

rain as a solution to the problem of drought, was another royal

project indicating his earnest compassion for farmers and

citizenry in the time of prolonged dry spells.

The first experimentation of the Royal Rain Project

occurred at Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province in

1969. This project could help save millions of rai of rice fields

from disaster caused by drought, due to the ability to control

and direct the rain to fall successfully on the target areas.

I reckoned about gods in heaven who could bring forth

the rain to people who begged for it; at the same time, a deity

on this land appears Himself to know deeply his peoples’

hearts and be closer to them.

“The Royal Rain” is rain from “the King”. It comes

from the heart runneth over with a great compassion of His.

Co-operative-The Rice Bank

Co-operative- The Rice Bank

“…If one wants to solve this problem, the starting point is to coalesce in groups, as a group of consumers having contact with the group of producers. Agreements should be made and there should probably be an establishment of a mill house or negotiations with the mill owner in order to prevent the middleman process. If all rice consumers set up groups, buying paddies and milling paddies themselves or having them milled by an agreed operator, passing through one channel, the producers, the millers and the consumers could solve the question of the middleman.”

This was the King’s speech on the solution of the

middleman problem that helped to increase revenue to


12


farmers, delivered at Thammasat University when He visited for

a musical performance on March 6th, 1971.

My father mentioned that when speaking of a bank,

people usually think about finance. But the King’s bank was

not like that. “The bank of the king is a rice bank, the place to

keep farmers’ paddies,” he said.

To make me see the picture clearly, my father told me

about farmers’ lives in the old days. It was a family life, a

village life or a community life. All were related to one another

as relatives and close friends, and everything went well with

reconciliation and solicitude. When the planting reason arrived,

everyone would lend a helping hand to one another in their

labour from paddy transplanting to harvesting and threshing to

moving all paddies to store in barns.

“You might have heard a saying of Long-kaek or

Ao-raeng,” which means to gather neighbours to help at

harvest time or to have a bee, mentioned my father before he

went on to explain…

“Long-kaek” or “Kan-ao-raeng” is a tradition. It is to

mobilize a labour force for paddy planting and harvesting


among Thai farmers who are family members, relatives,

neighbours, villagers and people in the same or the nearby

community. It was a kind of social order created especially by

the rice culture.

I felt regret listening to what my father had told me

about the farmers’ ways of life in the old times, especially

about “Ao-raeng” or “Long-kaek” or the labour force

mobilization during the harvest season when people of almost

every generation, lads and lasses, old and young joined hands

together in the rice fields and at the courtyard in front of the

house night and day. The singing of harvest songs amusingly

and joyfully mingled with laughter floated over the brown rice

fields. Such ways of life have been long gone, and it would be

hard to bring them back.

“The farmers’ lifestyles in those days were closely

knitted similar to a co-operative link,” said my father, “and

this led to the King’s idea of farmers’ co-operatives.”

The earlier royal address reflected the King’s concern

of the present-day farmers that they had no negotiating power

when having to manage everything by themselves, especially

in buying and sel l ing r ice, of which they lacked an

understanding of the mechanisms of the modern-day rice

markets. Having recognized the problem, the King, therefore,

encouraged agriculturalists to group together and establish an

agricultural co-operative within villages based on the idea of

the agricultural village development; signifying a unified force

of agriculturalists and farmers.


Wherever a journey would take him to, even in remote

areas, the King would advise people to apply the fundamental

co-operative theory to solve the problems of livelihood

hardships. The good part of this theoretical system was that

they learned how to rely on themselves, help each other and

diminish the exploitation from middleman merchants,

capitalists, and the capital investment. Most of all, it led to the

increased value of products.

The Royal Co-operative Project initiated by the King

was thus established in a wide range of regions throughout the

country. The Rice Bank was a part of this project and the

guidelines of principle suggested by the King in 1976 went

accordingly:



“The bank should have a committee chosen from

villagers as the keepers who would decide on the amount of

rice for lending and returning as well as manage accounts.

People who wanted to borrow rice for consumption in times of

need were allowed to, and it would be recorded in their

accounting books and after the harvest, they had to return rice

to the bank with a minimum interest rate of the amount of

rice as having been agreed upon. The interest would be kept in

the bank barn or silo and regarded as common property.

Villagers had to join hands to build a strengthened bank barn.

If the guidelines of principle were followed, the circulation of

the amount of rice would never run short; conversely, it would

gradually increase and would provide adequate consumption

for later generations. Ultimately the rice bank would be of

benefit to the preservation of villagers, as well as the source of

their reserved foodstuff.”

The rice bank is the source of circulating reserved

foodstuff. The principles of management of the rice bank

leaned on those of the financial bank, having paddies as an

asset for loans by the borrowers for consumption or to be used


as paddy seeds for cultivation. The borrowers had to pay back

interest in terms of rice paddies with a minimum interest rate

(or in other terms according to the regulations).

The management depended on the vi l lagers

themselves, having an orderly organized book keeping system.

Those responsible for the management had the right to borrow

the same as others in the village. The rice bank helped

decrease not only the debts of the farmers, but also the

farmers could learn to create the principles for local

development at the same time.

His Majesty the King had supported the establishment

of the rice bank since 1976, when he visited the Karen Tribe at

Chomthong District, Chiang Mai Province. He had given an

amount of paddy seeds to the chiefs of various villages as a

capital rice fund to begin the business of the rice bank. Also

included were his instructions on the principles of rice bank

management, as prior mentioned.

The rice bank is not merely a direct source of the

reserved foodstuff for the village, it also serves as the main root


for the development, the creation of the community spirit in

the acquisition of knowledge and help develop problem-solving

skills. The rice bank probably acts like a good school, yet it

represents efficiency and strength of the community’s

perpetuity.

His Majesty the King’s gracious visit to the people at Chomthong Distric, Chiang Mai Province, dated February 3rd, 1979


The successful rice bank does not only achieve its

basic goal of the rice shortage relief, it must also encourage

other on-going activit ies that enable the qual ity of

development, communal participation and the state of

leadership as well as the co-operation at the community level.

“His Majesty the King has not merely initiated a rice

bank, but a cattle bank as well” added my father.

“Oxen and buffaloes go to the bank, really father?”

I was surprised and filled with curiosity.

My father reminded me to chew rice well before he

went on…

A wooden barrel in cylinder form used as a unit of rice measurement. To measure a barrel of rice is to put rice into the barrel up to the full, using a straight piece of stick to smooth rice on the top until it levels the barrel’s edge.

The Cattle Bank

The Cattle Bank


13 My father said the cattle which farmers used in

their farming in the old days were as important as the plow-

handles. In addition to helping farmers plough fields, the cattle

had to plough an initial time, then a second time and finally

plough a third time to cover the seeds. They also helped with

threshing and trampling to separate paddies from stalks. Even

their dung was used as manure. Farmers in the past never

forgot the merit of cattle. They performed ceremonies to bless

the spirits of the cattle and rites to express gratitude to their

oxen and buffaloes.


His Majesty the King’s private visit to Rangsit Canal, dated October, 1954

“Do you believe that there are many farmers who still

make use of the cattle’s labour to do their farming?” asked my

father. “Still, poor farmers lack cattle to help on their farms.”

Because of the King’s generosity to those poor farmers,

the “Cattle Bank” has been established for them. It was

another project of His that really helped those who had no

cattle, which were considered the most essential element for

self-production. The bank allowed long-term purchase

installments for cattle as labour to farmers, and cattle


Their Majesties the King and Queen graciously reaping rice at Tungmakhamyong, Ayutthaya Province, dated May 14th, 1996


borrowing for breeding. The establishment of the Cattle Bank

was a means of consolidating for co-operative advantage

among farmers in the same village, and cattle, the common

property of the bank, were either donated by the public or

supplied by the government’s quota.

The cattle would be lent to poor, hard-working farmers

for use in any beneficial way according to the agreement.

However, one of the cattle’s offspring was required to be given

back as property to the bank. The cattle bank operated well

and was extremely useful, as members joined hands to protect

communal benefit, and agriculturalist members received


equally good service. Eventually the government no longer had

to spend as large of a budget to buy cattle for farmers as had

been done in the past. Besides, the cattle bank helped

diminish capital investment in the process of modern

production on which technologies had put emphasis, and

which was a costly investment for the underprivileged poor.

Whether they be the Mill House, the Rice Bank or the

Cattle Bank Projects, all had been implemented on co-

operative principles. It was clear that the successfully

integrated rice development at Ao-Luek co-operative village in

Krabi Province had operated within the framework as follows:

The land settlement co-operative of Ao-Luek, Krabi

Province, whose area covers 200,000 square rai, began its

operation in 1973. A large part of the land was allocated to the

cultivation of palm trees and rice to be purchased for

consumption. Prior to this, there were about 2,000 rai used for

paddy farming. The problem of warter shortages inhibited

farmers’ ability to provide crops; therefore, land was left wild

and fallow for many years.


On December 23rd, 1987, His Majesty the King

suggested that since the southern farmers who raised palm

trees had a great deal of spare time, they should do something

else to supplement their income. He realized what should be

done was to encourage them to do paddy farming on the

suitable part of land so that they would have rice for

consumption during times of scarcity. The project of paddy

farming had thus begun in 1987, and is still in operation. The

land that had long been left fallow was redeveloped for paddy

cultivation and farmers were supported with rice species and

suitable methods of planting. In the first year (1987 - 1988),

paddy cultivation took 80% of the total farmland, utilising

approximately 1,500 rai. The average crop production was 500

kilogrammes per rai, while that of the total was 600 tons of

paddy. The use of land was increased to 2,000 rai the following

year, which brought in 900 tons of paddy crop.

The King’s great compassion reminded me of the old

lifestyles of farmers as my father had narrated to me from the

beginning. I could even sense the smell of cattle mingling with

the breathing of the soil, the smell of sheaves and paddies and


the fragrance of the new appetizing cooked rice together with

the melodies of old songs representing the traditional life and

soul of our forefathers in this land of ours.

My father and I humbly bent down on our knees to pay

respect to the portrait of the King, whose generosity was so far

and wide.

The New Theory of Agriculture-Adequacy

and Sufficiency

The New Theory of Agriculture-Adequacy and Sufficiency

A significant part in the royal speech on sufficient

economy is “the new theory” _ a means that enables people

to live reasonably well. People might not be well off, but have

enough to eat and will not starve. The principle of the theory is

to divide land into four parts: one part for paddy cultivation

and the remaining parts for a plantation, an orchard and a

reservoir.


14


Today my father and I blissfully ate rice to our hearts’

content. My Father told me to be grateful for the merit of rice,

to Mae Phosop, the Goddess and Originator of Rice, and also to

farmers who planted paddy fields so that we had rice to eat,

and even the cattle, to which we owed our gratitude. My father

said most farmers in the present day have not quite had an

easy life.


Farmers, known as the backbone of the nation, still

work exhaustedly hard without sufficient income. This is

because modern paddy farming needs high capital investment

due to the cost of fertilizer, pesticides, paddy seeds, labour

wages, etc.. These are the expenses all farmers must carry.

Present-day farmers are in debt because the income from

selling their crops does not cover the cost of the investment

and other expenses. With this in mind, the “new theory” of

agriculture is based on sufficiency, following the King’s concept

initiated to help struggling farmers.


The “new theory”, according to the King’s initiative,

revealed the King’s determination to work for the benefit of

people in all regions, aiming at people’s well-being by means

of “adequacy and sufficiency”, whose principle is a life

without excess and sufficient food supply to ward off

starvation. With this came the idea of land and water

management to develop the way of life for farmers who had

limited land and problems of water shortages. To manage the

land according to the new theory is to divide it into proportions

of 30:30:30:10, accordingly:

The first 30% is for a reservoir to keep rain water for

consumption and cultivation during periods of drought, and for

planting short-term cash crops like soybeans, green beans,

peanuts and other vegetables. The second 30% is for paddy

cultivation, as the King’s judgment followed that “rice is the

main staple” for Thai people, and is the primary significant

need for life, farmers should therefore plant paddy for their

families’ sustenance all year round. The third 30% is for fruit

orchards, perennial trees, vegetables and other field crops,


integrated. The first priority should be for self-consumtion and

the rest for selling. The last 10% is for a dwelling, access roads,

dykes, a barn, a fish pond and a cattle pen.


This “new theory” of agriculture is referred to as

integrated farm management. It was experimented for the first

time under the project of the development of Wat Chaimongkol

Patana, in Muang District, Saraburi Province. The project

proved that the management of land based on the concept of

the new theory resulted in adequate water supplies to run the

farm all year, and the quantity of crops augmented. With this

new theory, farmers had enough rice and food for self-

consumption.

The old Thai saying of “Khao Lua Kluea Im” which

means “plentiful rice - abundant salt” is equivalent to the


saying that farmers are able to earn enough income to

live through the year, characterized as “adequacy and

sufficiency”.

“It is the King’s determination to help Thai farmers to

live well and be as happy as they should amidst the turbulence

of the present Thai society,” my father said. “If you dish out

rice on your plate and don’t eat it all, it means that you don’t

understand the words “adequacy and sufficiency”, my father

explained as he pointed his finger at the left-over rice on my

plate. “Every grain of rice is valuable, don’t waste it,” iterated

my father.

This made me feel shameful.

Father’s Rice Father’s Rice


15 H is Majesty the King has recognized the importance

of rice. Rice is a Thai way and is considered as the property

and honour of all Thais. It is the base fund for the lives of

farmers, who are the backbone of the nation. Farmers should

have their self-immunity strengthened in order to have a

secure life and be the pillar of the country. One of the

dedications of the King, who is regarded as “Father of the

Land”, is what should be done for Thai farmers to live

reasonably well and as happily as they should with sufficiency.


For these reasons, the King has dedicated Himself to

tasks that help improve the lives of Thai farmers. Apart from

royal projects that aid Thai farmers to be able to rely on

themselves, and with the support from his private account for

agricultural undertakings which became the prototype and the

source of knowledge, he also devoted his time to the research

of development and experimentation of integrated rice

production in many ways. Centres for the Rice Study

Development are therefore scattered all over Thai regional

communities.


The King has received many awards from various

international organizations grace to his great intelligence,

ability and diligence. He has not only been recognized in the

eyes of Thai people, but his genius in the agricultural

development domain is internationally renowned the world

over. On December 6th, 1985, at the Chakri Throne Hall, The

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations

presented to His Majesty the King an Agricola Award together

with a Citation in honour of his work in the field of agricultural


development. On June 5th, 1986, at the Chitralada Palace, the

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the most well-

known organization on rice research in the world, also

presented him with a gold medal to celebrate his golden

jubilee. The institute has never before presented such a medal

to any king or head of state anywhere else.

From listening to my father’s story of the origin of rice,

about rice and Thai people, rice and Thai farmers, Thai culture,

and rice and the Thai sovereign accordingly from the


beginning, it made me see the picture of the ties of national

soul between Thai farmers and people, the same as my father

and me. Above all, the Thai sovereign is metaphorically the

centre of the unified force of life and soul of Thai people, Thai

society and the Thai nation that helps prevent them from

falling apart. Traditions, rites and rituals in the Thai rice culture

are lessons to Thai people and farmers for the learning of love

and unity, as well as how to live in harmony without isolating

themselves, and without extravagance or risk. These principles

are in fact the foundation of sufficient economy.

My father told me that Dr.Sumet Tantivejchakul,

Secretary General of the Chaipatana Foundation, said “the

King has led a very simple life. I asked Him once what He most

likes to eat. He answered in a single word - “Rice”. If we knew

a bit we would find that rice is a magical plant. Westerners

have found that rice contains a kind of substance that

alleviates stress. Hence, Thai people laugh all the time, but

now we hardly eat rice, preferring bread, fried eggs and

steak.” What Dr.Sumet Tantivejchakul said made me realize


that as the King and royalty had recognized the significance of

rice, the life of Thai farmers and Thai people would therefore

eventually be improved. Rice is the foundation and the pillar of

the nation. Rice is life for all Thais.

How could a Thai, like me, forget about rice?

Rice of the land, Rice of Thai people, and Rice of the King.

“Father’s Rice.”

Everyday I eat rice to my heart’s content at every

meal with gratitude. The beauty of Father’s Rice glows in my

heart, as it does in the hearts of all Thai people.


“Father’s Rice” “Father’s Rice” was translated from the Thai book entitled

“Khao Khong Por” written by Wimolphun Pitathawachai.

Publisher Ministry of Culture

First edition published in May 2010

3,000 copies

Advisors :

Mr.Vira Rojpojchanarat Permanent Secretary for Culture

Prof.Dr.Apinan Poshyananda Deputy Permanent Secretary for Culture

Dr.Somsuda Leyavanija Deputy Permanent Secretary for Culture

Translator :

Mrs.Khanittha Boonpan

Editorial Staff :

Mrs.Pimporn Chaichitsakul Mrs.Chutatip Khotprathum

Ms.Thipsuda Imjai Mr.Thammanoon Klinkoom

Ms.Maytinee Chunboonna

Language Reader :

Mr.Hunter Ian Watson Mr.Timothy Buckland

ISBN 978-616-543-043-2

Published by

Public Relation Group, Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture

666 Borommaratchachonnani Road, Bang Bamru, Bang Phlat, Bangkok 10700

Tel. 0 2422 8853-8 Call center 1765 www.m-culture.go.th

Acknowledgements :

• Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives • National Achieves of Thailand

• Pathum Thani Rice Research Center • National Archives in Commemoration of

H.M.The King’s Golden Jubilee • Thai Farmer National Museum

Father’s Rice

Ministry of Culture 666 Borommaratchachonnani Road, Bang Bamru, Bang Phlat, Bangkok 10700

Tel. 0 2422 8853-8 Call Center 1765 www.m-culture.go.th

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