The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives plans to spend 9.9 billion baht on improving the business capabilities of rice and oil palm farmers' cooperatives over the next five years.
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Pitipong Phuengboon Na Ayudhaya said on Thursday the government intended to strengthen the organisations of rice farmers and palm growers, who made up a substantial proportion of the farming community.
About 6.5 billion baht would fund projects to enable rice growers' cooperatives in 19 provinces to gather and process more paddy.
Their paddy collection capabilities should increase from 450,000 tonnes in 2014 to 948,000 tonnes by 2019, and their rice processing capability should rise from 53,000 tonnes in 2014 to 134,000 tonnes in 2019, Mr Pitipong said.
Members of rice farmers' cooperatives grew rice in 26 million rai of land, which accounted for 48% of all paddy fields in the country, and they produced 11.3 million tonnes of grain, about 39% of the national crop, the minister said.
About 3.4 billion baht would be spent to promote the integration of palm plantations, increase palm oil production, and support growers' capabilities for gathering and processing palm nut yields.