Bangkok: The cooperative federation's proposal to extend the school milk program to include lower secondary school students has been accepted. Watcharaphol, the head of the Dairy Cooperative Federation of Thailand, has agreed to expedite the review of school milk quota allocation criteria to ensure fairness and investigate existing milk stocks in the system. He has set a 30-day progress target and aims to extend the school milk quota to the third year of secondary school.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Watcharaphol Khaokham, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, revealed after a meeting with Mr. Subin Pom-ocha, President of the Dairy Cooperative Federation of Thailand, and representatives of dairy farmers at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, that the meeting focused on two primary issues: ensuring fair criteria for allocating school milk quotas and inspecting the current milk stock, which is notably large.
Mr. Watcharaphol stated that the Ministry of Agriculture has received the proposal for consideration and will expedite actions to achieve tangible results. A 30-day timeframe has been set to make clear progress on addressing the problems, including quota allocation, stock verification, and strategies for distributing milk within the system.
As an urgent measure, the Ministry is working to expand school milk consumption coverage to include students in the third year of secondary school. Documents are being prepared for submission to the Cabinet meeting soon, with hopes that this expansion will alleviate hardships faced by dairy farmers. If implemented in time, the changes could take effect during the new school term starting on May 18, 2026.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Agriculture is accelerating negotiations with various agencies, including government departments, state enterprises, the private sector, and various funds, to jointly purchase milk from farmers and distribute it to groups such as the elderly and disabled. Coordination with members of parliament is also ongoing.
Mr. Watcharaphol expressed confidence that this approach will help reduce surplus milk stock in the system and alleviate the immediate challenges faced by dairy farmers, while also establishing a fairer system for allocating school milk quotas.