The first batch of land title deeds, to be officially named “land title deed for agriculture”, upgraded from “sor por kor 4-01” land certificate, is expected to be distributed to farmers on January 15, Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao announced today (Tuesday).

He said that the Land Reform Committee had approved, in principle, the proposal to upgrade “sor por kor 4-01” land certificates to land title deeds, in accordance with the Land Reform Act for Agriculture, adding that a sub-committee has been formed to review the law and regulations pertaining to occupation rights of land under the land reform program.

He said that three sets of regulations on land reform will be put up for public hearings, to gauge the opinions of farmers and other stakeholders, ahead of the drafting the final regulations, which will be published in the Royal Gazette for enforcement by December 15.

The highlight of the regulations is that the “sor por kor” land, or land under land reform program, can be sold or mortgaged under certain conditions and cannot be sold or mortgaged with landlords.

Currently, “sor por kor” land can be inherited by the next of kin of the landowner and can only be mortgaged with the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives. The land cannot be sold.

Thammanat said that all farmers living in land reform zones will benefit from this radical change, which will improve their quality of life, adding that the Land Reform Office will step in to install utilities, such as water and electricity, and develop basic infrastructure, such as roads, in the zones, as well as providing occupational training and funding so farmers can use their land for agriculture.

There are about 3.52 million hectares of “sor por kor 4-01” land throughout the country.