The person behind the success of vetiver technology in Thailand is His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the first person in the country to recognize the potential value of vetiver for soil and water conservation. His Majesty advocated the idea that studies and experiments should be conducted on vetiver grass, initially to Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul, Secretary-General of the Royal Development Projects Board on 22 June 1991, and later to concerned parties on various occasions, particularly when he visited the sites of the Royal Development Study Centres and the Royal Development Projects.
Through his own initiatives and supported numerous experiments conducted by various Royal Development Study Centres as well as several cooperating agencies, vetiver has come a long way from an obscure plant to become one of the most popular plants in Thailand in just a few years. Vetiver was, and still is, referred to as "miracle grass".
On 31 August 2009, His Majesty gave the speech to the Privy Councilor and the representatives of the agencies involved in the Development and Promotion of the Utilization of Vetiver Grass Project According to the Royal Initiative at Klai Kangwol Palace, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province which are summarized as follow: