Thailand's irrigation department is considering a proposal to the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry to ban second-crop rice growing if farmers failed to cooperate as water levels in the major dams continue to drop alarmingly.

Meanwhile Irrigation Department deputy chief Weera Wongsaengnak has said the department needed to store water to deal with drought as June and July this year were predicted to receive little rainfall.

Off-season rice fields in the province have reached 123,600 rai, while there was only enough water for 97,000 rai. Off-season crops were dying in some areas because of a lack of water.

Wichit Akkharapornchai, promotions officer at the Phimai district agricultural office, said farmers had been warned there would not be enough water for cultivation this year but most refused to cooperate.