Dairy Co-op Protests School Milk, Seeks Cambodia Border Reopening

Thansettakij•Economy•2d ago

Reader Briefing

Wang Nam Yen Dairy Cooperative plans a protest at the Ministry of Agriculture on April 16 to address unfair school milk allocation and impacts on raw milk producers, while also urging the government to reopen the Cambodia border to boost export income.

•The Wang Nam Yen Dairy Cooperative is protesting unfair school milk quotas and the production of substandard milk being supplied to schools.
•The cooperative claims the current school milk allocation system is detrimental to dairy farmers who are taking on raw milk burdens.
•The cooperative also requests the government to reopen trade routes with Cambodia, which previously generated significant income.
•The protest aims to draw the government's attention to the urgent plight of dairy farmers and cooperatives before they collapse.

Overview

•On April 16, the Wang Nam Yen Dairy Cooperative plans to visit the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.
•The Wang Nam Yen Dairy Cooperative will submit a letter and discuss solutions for the school milk program and unfair quota allocation.
•The current school milk allocation system is unfairly benefiting some private operators who do not produce raw milk, while genuine cooperatives are struggling.
•The allocation for the "School Milk" program has decreased from 90 tons per day in the 2021 academic year to 28 tons in 2024, and is expected to be no more than 30 tons daily in 2026 for Wang Nam Yen Cooperative, despite increased raw milk supply.
•Cooperatives that take raw milk from farmers are facing a crisis due to "milk overflowing the system" and bearing costs without market support.
•The cooperative is urging the committee to strictly investigate which private operators are genuinely involved in milk production for schools.
•The cooperative has proposed grading dairy operators and temporarily switching from pasteurized milk to UHT milk during the first month of the school term.
•The Wang Nam Yen Dairy Cooperative requests the government to urgently negotiate the reopening of the Thai-Cambodia border, citing a loss of over 10 million baht per month in export revenue.
•The closure of the Cambodia border has severely impacted trade for residents in the 7 border provinces, leading to a lack of income.

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Key Quotes

Amnaoy Thongkoke

"I want the Committee on Milk for Children and Youth to strictly investigate who is genuinely involved. Today, some private companies don't take raw milk but find cheap milk to deliver, while cooperatives taking real milk from farmers are about to die."

ผมอยากให้คณะกรรมการอาหารนมเพื่อเด็กและเยาวชน ตรวจสอบให้เข้มข้นว่าใครทำจริงหรือไม่จริง วันนี้เอกชนบางรายไม่ต้องรับนมดิบแต่ไปหานมราคาถูกมาส่ง ส่วนสหกรณ์ที่รับนมจริงจากเกษตรกรกำลังจะตาย

Amnaoy Thongkoke

"We cannot quarrel like this forever. People in the 7 border provinces are suffering greatly, unable to trade at all. I want to say that patriots might be in Bangkok, but those truly suffering are the border dwellers who lack income."

เราจะทะเลาะกันแบบนี้ไปตลอดชาติไม่ได้ คน 7 จังหวัดชายแดนลำบากมาก ค้าขายไม่ได้เลย ผมอยากบอกว่าคนรักชาติอาจอยู่ในกรุงเทพฯ แต่คนลำบากจริงๆ คือคนเลาะชายแดนที่ขาดรายได้

Key Entities

Organization

Wang Nam Yen Dairy Cooperative Limited(สหกรณ์โคนมวังน้ำเย็น จำกัด)

A dairy cooperative protesting unfair school milk allocation and seeking reopening of the Cambodia border to recover income.

Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives(กระทรวงเกษตรและสหกรณ์)

The government ministry to which the Wang Nam Yen Dairy Cooperative plans to submit its demands.

Committee on Milk for Children and Youth(คณะกรรมการอาหารนมเพื่อเด็กและเยาวชน)

The committee that Amnaoy Thongkoke wants to investigate the genuine involvement of producers in the school milk program.

Person

Amnaoy Thongkoke(นายอำนวย ทงก๊ก)

Advisor chairman of the Wang Nam Yen Dairy Cooperative, who is speaking out about the crisis in the Thai dairy industry.

Policy

School Milk Program(นมโรงเรียน)

The government program for allocating milk to schools, which is at the center of the cooperative's protest due to alleged unfair practices.

School Milk Project(โครงการนมโรงเรียน)

The primary market for milk, whose allocated rights have been continuously decreasing, impacting dairy producers.

Place

Thailand-Cambodia(ประเทศไทย-กัมพูชา)

The border whose reopening is urgently requested by the Wang Nam Yen Dairy Cooperative to restore export revenues.