"Royal Ploughing Ceremony"

Their Majesties King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana on Thursday oversaw a ceremony to appoint the Phraya Raekna (Lord of the Royal Ploughing Ceremony) and Celestial Maidens for the Royal Ploughing Ceremony.

The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is an ancient royal tradition observed in Thailand every year to mark the start of the rice-growing season.

To celebrate the upcoming Royal Ploughing Ceremony, which will be held at Bangkok’s Sanam Luang on May 13, the Rice Department is handing out six breeds of rice weighing 1,728 kilograms that it received from His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

The Department of Livestock Development on Monday unveiled two pairs of sacred oxen for the royal Ploughing Ceremony at Bangkok’s Sanam Luang on May 13.

His Majesty the King presided over the royal Ploughing Ceremony at Bangkok's Sanam Luang on Thursday morning, which produced a prediction that there will be enough water for farming while rice, food, and fruits will be abundant this year.

PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday said he was pleased with the Royal Ploughing Ceremony’s forecast for prosperity but urged the public to understand the government’s slow and steady approach for sustainable results in national development.

Thailand will have ample water and food this year and citizens will enjoy convenience in transportation according to the types of food preferred by the oxen involved in the annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony held on Monday morning.

Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry’s permanent secretary Lertviroj Kowattana leads several officials in a full-dress rehearsal for the Royal Ploughing Ceremony in Sanam Luang on Tuesday.

Traditional event augurs end to drastic water shortages as farmers struggle with drought.