Sugarcane farmers and mills in eastern Thailand are facing a deepening labour crisis as a shortage of workers threatens to derail this year’s harvest, with losses expected to exceed 3 billion baht, industry representatives said.

With PM2.5 pollution under increased public scrutiny, sugarcane farmers, often blamed as major polluters, have been under growing pressure to stop burning cane fields. Many growers have complied with new government measures, contributing to a marked reduction in open-field burning.  In the process, however, they have had to deal with higher costs, increased operational risks, labour shortages, and limited governmental support.

Sugarcane farmers, often targeted as a major source of PM2.5 pollution, have significantly reduced field burning practices to comply with government regulatory measures. Despite the consequences they have suffered - higher costs, labour shortages, increased operational risks, and volatile cane prices - governmental support measures have been underwhelming.