Mr. Peerapan Kothong, Secretary-General of the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE), revealed that the situation regarding greenhouse gases (GHGs), a major factor contributing to global warming, shows that in 2023, Thailand's agricultural sector accounted for 19.02% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions, or approximately 73.16 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. The main sources were methane gas in rice paddies (47.57%) and fermentation in animal digestive systems (25.81%). The OAE, as the strategic leading agency, is accelerating the laying of foundations for management to sustainably maintain the competitiveness of Thai agricultural products on the global stage.

The OAE has been tasked as the central coordinating agency for climate change in the agricultural sector. Agriculture is driven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the Climate Change Action Plan for Agriculture (CCAPA) 2023-2027. In 2023, a reduction of 3.40 million tons was achieved, meeting the CCAPA target of 1 million tons per year. The country is also striving towards its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Thailand's commitments under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, Thailand is aiming for NDC 2.0, at 4.1 million tons in 2030 through unconditional domestic action, and preparing for NDC 3.0, which aims for 7.6 million tons in 2035.

Mr. Peerapan stated that the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE) focuses on driving development and upgrading to environmentally friendly agriculture by utilizing climate-adaptive technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimize burning of waste materials. Reducing nitrous oxide and methane emissions and utilizing increased clean energy in the Thai agricultural sector is crucial. This should be coupled with the establishment of a Digital Farm Records system and a Digital MRV (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification) system for measuring, reducing, and sequestering greenhouse gas emissions according to international standards. This innovative digital data storage system collects data from field-level monitoring, generates reports on greenhouse gas reductions, and links to a verification system to enable access to the international carbon credit market. This will generate supplementary income from carbon credits, providing a worthwhile return on investment (ROI) and return on assets (ROA) for farmers, communities, and businesses. This is particularly true in the livestock sector, where biogas systems can convert waste into electricity, significantly reducing farm costs. In the rice farming sector, promoting wet-dry irrigation combined with laser soil leveling not only reduces methane emissions but also lowers production costs and increases yield per acre. This leads to acceptance and continuous expansion at the local level, ultimately aiming towards achieving greenhouse gas emission targets. Aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050. ส่งความคิดเห็น

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