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Cooperatives, Consumer Cooperatives, Service Cooperatives, Thrift and Credit
Cooperatives, Fisheries Cooperatives, and Credit Union Cooperatives. Since King

Prajadhipok (King Rama VII) laid foundation, the cooperatives in Thailand have

developed and widely helped many groups of farmers, labors, and communities
especially on providing social justice for those being taken advantaged by the

capitalists, reducing their poverty, and improving their welfare and quality of life. After

102 years of the implementation, Thailand witnessed a total number (including those
cooperative federations) of 8,194 cooperatives with 11,574,271 members, and a total

capital of 2,567,547.97 million baht. The majority are agricultural cooperatives deemed

as the significant government’s mechanics supporting the creation of economic value
and the development of the country.

In order to make the cooperative institution a mechanic supporting the self-

reliance of the Thai farmers, a policy to firmly and sustainably strengthen the
cooperative must be the top priority supported by the government. Beyond the

provision of capital to facilitate a loan service for the members, the role of the

cooperative in stimulating the economy of the community should also be encouraged
especially sourcing commodity, collecting and processing product, providing service

business, and even introducing a new technology. The members then would be

equipped with capability to compete with the private sector and also gain additional
income from these activities.