Chambers of commerce are helping farmers' cooperatives

BANGKOK, May 6 (TNA) -- The Cooperative Promotion Department will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Thai Chamber of Commerce to have provincial chambers of commerce improve the business of agricultural cooperatives. Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chatchai Sarikulya said that under the agreement, the Thai Chamber of Commerce would team up with schools and research institutions to support the operations of 3,800 agricultural cooperatives nationwide. Most members of the cooperatives were farmers who knew only about farming and lack skills in management and marketing. The chambers of commerce would assist in the areas to help farmers increase their income, the minister said. The chambers would, for example, set production standards and apply information technology to control production of agricultural cooperatives, he cited. They intended to help 100 cooperatives this year and the farmers who were their members should be able to raise their income by 30%, Gen Chatchai said. Vinaroj Supsongsuk, director-general of the Cooperative Promotion Department, said that the assistance already reached 42 agricultural cooperatives that were being trained on marketing, value addition, management, production improvement, cost reduction and product standards, and the training would be concluded on May 15. "The project is good for agricultural cooperatives because the private sector is lending a helping hand... I would like to see cooperatives working with chambers of commerce in all provinces on farming, handicrafts and processed products," he said. (TNA)