The Cabinet, during its meeting on 20 August 2002, endorsed the proposal by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives for the title of Father of Royal Rainmaking to honor His Majesty the King and to designate November 14 each year "Father of Royal Rainmaking Day." His Majesty started the royal rainmaking project on 14 November 1955, so November 14 was picked as Father of Royal Rainmaking Day. The Cabinet decided to announce the recognition of His Majesty as the Father of Royal Rainmaking in the Royal Gazette and make it better known to the public. The decision also coincided with the occasion of Thailand's hosting the 17th World Congress of Soil Science from 14 to 21 August 2002, when the international community learned about many agricultural achievements of His Majesty the King, the greatest soil scientist of Thailand.