The Agriculture Ministry is asking farmers to delay planting the 2010-11 main rice crop until the end of next month as water levels in the country's major dams remain critically low.

The ministry previously suggested that the cultivation of the grain, especially in irrigated areas such as the Central Plains and the lower North, begin sometime in mid-July.

But it revised the decision this week as the impacts of this year's drought are still keenly felt due to deficient rainfall and the rapid decrease of water in many reservoirs across the country.

Thailand's planting of the main crop paddy, which accounts for about 23-24 million tonnes of total paddy volume, depends largely on rainfall and the irrigation system.

Agriculture Minister Theera Wongsamut said that water levels in major and medium-sized dams have been low, at 13% of their capacities or 9,265 million cubic metres of usable water in total.

The usable water volumes at two major dams that irrigates rice farmlands in the Central region and the lower North have been small.The Bhumibol dam in Tak province now has only 264 million cubic metres of usable water, or 2% of its capacity, while the Sirikit dam in Uttaradit has 4% or 361 million cubic metres.

According to Mr Theera, the ministry will announce the postponement officially and send officials to inform the farmers as well as monitor the climate.

The planting-delay advisory is the second in a row after the ministry earlier warned the farmers to skip growing second rice crops since there would not be enough water to irrigate their farmlands.

The government has also forecast that the drought could decrease the yield per rai of the second-crop paddy, bringing the total production to 9.58 million tonnes, down from an earlier projection of 10.52 million tonnes.

The ministry, however, is confident the lower supplies and planting delays will not affect Thailand's rice exports, projected at between 8 million and 8.5 million tonnes this year.

Source: Bangkok Post