Bangkok: The "School Milk" program has been expanded to include students in grades 7-9 (M.1-M.3) in schools for underprivileged students, benefiting an additional 580,000 children and helping to reduce the surplus of raw milk in the market.
According to Thai News Agency, the Cabinet has approved this expansion to cover 582,947 more children in schools providing expanded educational opportunities. The initiative, proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, aims to improve nutrition, ease family burdens, and bolster the purchase of raw milk to support dairy farmers while addressing the issue of surplus milk in the market.
Lieutenant Colonel Patthadarasmi Thongsalooykorn, Deputy Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, announced that the Cabinet approved the school milk supplement program for students in grades 7-9 (M.1-M.3) for implementation in the 2027 academic year. This expansion now includes students from pre-primary through grade 9, offering enhanced educational opportunities to economically disadvantaged families.
The program's expansion is set to address nutritional needs during critical growth years for nearly 583,000 lower secondary school students, while also increasing the purchase of raw milk to reduce surplus and provide income for dairy farmers. This creates a larger market for the entire dairy industry chain.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives plans to start distributing milk to the newly included group of children by November 2026. To align with the remaining school term, the distribution days will be adjusted from 260 to approximately 145, with a corresponding budget adjustment.
Captain Patthadarasmi emphasized that the project expansion not only provides proper nutrition but also creates a domestic market for raw milk, mitigating oversupply risks and ensuring continuous income for dairy farmers. This measure benefits children, families, farmers, and the dairy industry collectively.