Soaring rice prices sow hope - and trouble - for indebted Thai farmers

Farmers harvest rice in a field in Chainat province, Thailand, August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

CHAI NAT, Thailand (Reuters) - After finishing her latest rice harvest, Sripai Kaeo-eam hurriedly cleared her fields and planted a new crop in late August — ignoring a Thai government advisory to restrict further sowing of the grain this year to conserve water.

"This crop is our hope," said the 58-year-old farmer in Thailand's central Chai Nat province, pointing to her green paddy seedlings only a few inches tall.