On June 17th, 1998, Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai presided over the opening ceremony of the Workshop on "Policy Coordination for Rural Economic and Social Rehabilitation and Promotion of Self-reliant economy (New Theory) under Multilateral Cooperation." The Workshop was jointly organized by the NESDB and the Ministry of Interior at Government Parliament.
Giving introductory report to the meeting, Mr.Wirat Wattanasiritham, Secretary-General of NESDB said that the workshop was held under the government policies to overcome economic crisis by means of the holistic approach of national development. The development projects would be community and area-based in order to ensure the betterment of the Thai people. This is, in fact, the main target of the Eighth Plan. In addition, the Prosperity Decentralization Policy committee (PDPC) was assigned to conduct the Rural Economic and Social Rehabilitation Plan. The main objectives were to alleviate problems at the grass-roots level, by mobilizing the existing social capital via grouping of local people to solve their own problems.
The workshop, said Mr. Wirat, was aimed to coordinate development policies and operations of all involved parties in both public and private sectors, non-governmental organizations, and all partners. Their concerted efforts would create self-reliance of the community economy in the long run. Of about 450 representatives of the above parties were here today at the workshop to discuss relevant operational guidelines.
For his opening speech, Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai expressed his concerns that the current economic crisis has affected rural social conditions, and exacerbated poverty, social problems and natural resource degradation. These problems would get worse this year, due mainly to the return of about 250,000 workers being laid off from the industrial sector to the rural areas.
Economic and social problems in the rural areas, said the Premier, are main concerns for every government. Given the current economic conditions, his government placed special emphasis on debt problems and income-raising of farmers. The National Agricultural Credit Management Committee was recently set up to handle debt problems among farmers as a result of failure in government projects. The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) would be encouraged to help restructure debts among farmers.
The Premier also added that more efforts should be given to alleviation of rural problems during the economic crisis. In this regard, the government considered the New Farm Theory under Royal Initiatives of His Majesty the King for setting the guidelines for promoting self-reliant economy in the rural areas. These would help alleviate chronic problems among the rural farmers.
Under the Royal Initiatives, the new theory would aim at the existing capital in the community. Local people would be encouraged to focus on subsistence farm production at a household level which would help strengthen the community economy. There are three main steps for the development of self-reliant community economy. Firstly, every family would focus on subsistence farm production. Then, the existing labor force and capital in the rural areas will be solicited via the cooperative approach. Thirdly, cooperation among the government, private sector and the local people will be encouraged to strengthen the community economy.
The self-reliant economic development approach would help alleviate the chronic problems of poverty and debts among farmers. In the short run, farmers would stop incurring new debts and repay the existing ones. Then, the local community would be able to accumulate economic capital via the cooperative approach. In the long run, with this capital, the local community would be able to run more economic activities for greater benefits of the local people.
--Development News Bulletin, National Economic and Social Development Board, Volume 13, No.7 : July 1998--
Giving introductory report to the meeting, Mr.Wirat Wattanasiritham, Secretary-General of NESDB said that the workshop was held under the government policies to overcome economic crisis by means of the holistic approach of national development. The development projects would be community and area-based in order to ensure the betterment of the Thai people. This is, in fact, the main target of the Eighth Plan. In addition, the Prosperity Decentralization Policy committee (PDPC) was assigned to conduct the Rural Economic and Social Rehabilitation Plan. The main objectives were to alleviate problems at the grass-roots level, by mobilizing the existing social capital via grouping of local people to solve their own problems.
The workshop, said Mr. Wirat, was aimed to coordinate development policies and operations of all involved parties in both public and private sectors, non-governmental organizations, and all partners. Their concerted efforts would create self-reliance of the community economy in the long run. Of about 450 representatives of the above parties were here today at the workshop to discuss relevant operational guidelines.
For his opening speech, Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai expressed his concerns that the current economic crisis has affected rural social conditions, and exacerbated poverty, social problems and natural resource degradation. These problems would get worse this year, due mainly to the return of about 250,000 workers being laid off from the industrial sector to the rural areas.
Economic and social problems in the rural areas, said the Premier, are main concerns for every government. Given the current economic conditions, his government placed special emphasis on debt problems and income-raising of farmers. The National Agricultural Credit Management Committee was recently set up to handle debt problems among farmers as a result of failure in government projects. The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) would be encouraged to help restructure debts among farmers.
The Premier also added that more efforts should be given to alleviation of rural problems during the economic crisis. In this regard, the government considered the New Farm Theory under Royal Initiatives of His Majesty the King for setting the guidelines for promoting self-reliant economy in the rural areas. These would help alleviate chronic problems among the rural farmers.
Under the Royal Initiatives, the new theory would aim at the existing capital in the community. Local people would be encouraged to focus on subsistence farm production at a household level which would help strengthen the community economy. There are three main steps for the development of self-reliant community economy. Firstly, every family would focus on subsistence farm production. Then, the existing labor force and capital in the rural areas will be solicited via the cooperative approach. Thirdly, cooperation among the government, private sector and the local people will be encouraged to strengthen the community economy.
The self-reliant economic development approach would help alleviate the chronic problems of poverty and debts among farmers. In the short run, farmers would stop incurring new debts and repay the existing ones. Then, the local community would be able to accumulate economic capital via the cooperative approach. In the long run, with this capital, the local community would be able to run more economic activities for greater benefits of the local people.
--Development News Bulletin, National Economic and Social Development Board, Volume 13, No.7 : July 1998--