Thailand's farming rehabilitation scheme aims to increase the incomes of 300,000 farmers. (Source: Bangkok Post) Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand is set to launch an agricultural rehabilitation scheme worth 310 billion baht (about 10 billion USD) in June to help 2 million people who lost jobs and returned to their hometowns.
Local media on June 25 quoted Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak as saying all projects related to economic rehabilitation must be implemented by July.
The state-owned Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) will offer 40 billion baht in loans with an interest rate of 0.01 percent to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the farming sector to create a supply chain.
The loans are expected to create 10,000-20,000SMEs, he said, adding that the Thai government plans to spare 22 billion baht to finance half of the investment for farming SMEs.
The farming rehabilitation scheme aims to increase the incomes of 300,000 farmers, training 200,000 new farm workers with technology and marketing knowledge in the sector, and supporting 16,000 farming communities and 7,255 agricultural cooperatives and institutions./.
VNA
