| Official Name: | Pua |
| Native Name: | ปัว |
| Native Name Lang: | th |
| Settlement Type: | District |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Thailand |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Nan |
| Population Total: | 64813 |
| Population As Of: | 2015 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Leader Title: | Marshal |
| Leader Name: | Kamthorn Su-Arun |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Postal code |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 55120 |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Geocode |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 5505 |
| Timezone: | ICT |
| Utc Offset: | +7 |
| Coordinates: | 19.1742°N 100.9167°W |
Pua (in Thai pronounced as /pūa/; ปั๋ว, pronounced as /pǔa/) is a district (amphoe) in the central part of Nan province, northern Thailand.
Neighboring districts are, from the north clockwise, Chiang Klang, Thung Chang, Chaloem Phra Kiat, Bo Kluea, Santi Suk, and Tha Wang Pha.
Doi Phu Kha National Park is Thailand's largest national park, covering several districts of Nan Province. The national park office as well as the 1,980 m high Doi Phu Kha in the Luang Prabang Range itself are within Pua District.[1]
Pua is divided into 12 sub-districts (tambons), which are further subdivided into 107 administrative villages (mubans).
| No. | Name | Thai | Villages | Pop.[2] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Pua | Thai: ปัว | 8 | 7,302 | |
| 2. | Ngaeng | Thai: แงง | 7 | 4,843 | |
| 3. | Sathan | Thai: สถาน | 13 | 6,074 | |
| 4. | Sila Laeng | Thai: ศิลาแลง | 8 | 3,968 | |
| 5. | Sila Phet | Thai: ศิลาเพชร | 10 | 4,567 | |
| 6. | Uan | Thai: อวน | 11 | 4,990 | |
| 9. | Chai Watthana | Thai: ไชยวัฒนา | 8 | 4,232 | |
| 10. | Chedi Chai | Thai: เจดีย์ชัย | 9 | 6,908 | |
| 11. | Phu Kha | Thai: ภูคา | 14 | 4,902 | |
| 12. | Sakat | Thai: สกาด | 4 | 2,903 | |
| 13. | Pa Klang | Thai: ป่ากลาง | 7 | 8,300 | |
| 14. | Wora Nakhon | Thai: วรนคร | 8 | 5,824 |
There are two sub-district municipalities (thesaban tambons) in the district:
There are 10 sub-district administrative organizations (SAO) in the district:
Pua district is heavily agricultural. It is a significant maize-growing area. Farmer's zeal to clear more land for maize cultivation has led to deforestation of vast tracts of hillsides, resulting in "bald mountains" (;). A by-product of the land clearing is smoke from field burning, contributing to the northern region's significant air pollution. Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group, Thailand's largest agro-industrial and food conglomerate, and the leading purchaser of Pua District maize, in March 2016 announced an "agricultural social enterprise" to steer district villagers away from maize farming. CP Group has incurred criticism for the way it purchases maize harvests for animal feed from farmers in Nan and other provinces. Suphachai Chearavanont, vice-chairman of CP Group, said that corn planters will be encouraged to grow cash crops such as coffee, which requires less farmland and makes a higher profit than maize. Not only will this address the bald-mountain problem, he said, but it will also help reduce the spring haze in the north which is caused by slash-and-burn practices to prepare land for the next maize season. Mr Suphachai said crops like coffee take about three-and-a-half years to show a yield, but stated that CP Group would stand by farmers and provide assistance in the meantime.[3]