Government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said on Friday that the government had launched a new project in which each tambon will be provided with one drone for use in farming.This could potentially help boost crop yields while cutting farming costs.

"One Tambon One Digital" is the brainchild of Prime Minister Settha Thavisin. It aims to create a new digital ecosystem in Thailand's agricultural sector and help generate more income from higher crop yields and lower production costs, said Mr Chai. He said the farming drones must be manufactured in the country and will be used to enhance crop management including monitoring crop health or detect potential problems.in addition to providing one drone per tambon, the government plans to set up a drone maintenance and repair centre in every community to train locals in checking and repairing the flying devices.

These centres could potentially create new jobs for many when the use of drones in the agricultural sector becomes a common practice. In a year from now, there will be about 50 such repair centres, while over 10,000 households in 500 communities are expected to use drones for farming on more than 4 million rai of farmland. Of the 50 drone repair centres targeted, plans to establish 35 have already been approved -- 19 in the Northeast, eight in the North, five in the Central Plains and the West, two in the East and one in the South, Mr Chai said.

Furthermore, the government plans to jointly invest with a private partner in establishing a centre for developing and certifying drone-flying skills and further developing drone technology for agricultural purposes. The centre will be responsible for training and certifying professional drone pilots and maintenance and repair mechanics.These operations are forecast to yield more than 20 billion baht in economic value, he added.

Aside from agricultural prices, which the PM considers a priority, Mr Settha also places high importance on the need to adopt new technology for use in agricultural and related activities. He strongly believes technology will help increase efficiency, cut costs, and increase yields, said Mr Chai.