The Deputy Minister of Agriculture is preparing to revise the MOU for the Dairy Farming Promotion Organization of Thailand (DPO) to purchase raw milk, emphasizing that it must not affect dairy farmers. He acknowledged that DPO has incurred losses for several years and currently holds a large volume of milk inventory.
On 30 June 2026, at the Parliament Building, Watcharapol Khaokham, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, spoke about the Ministry sending a team to inspect the DPO office in Pathum Thani Province regarding expired milk stockpiled—over 2.4 million cartons, or about 94 million boxes—accumulated from November 2025 to May 2026 due to liquidity problems and accumulated losses. He explained that in the past, DPO’s Thai-Denmark brand milk was categorized into three zones: yellow, red, and green, representing expired milk, near-expiry, and milk with longer shelf life, respectively. Because DPO has faced losses for several years, a large milk inventory remains. Expired milk is utilized in various ways, including fertilizer production for the Rice Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. However, DPO reported that disposing of expired milk incurs costs for removal or transportation for disposal. Management prefers to repurpose expired milk rather than sell it to consumers.
Watcharapol added that, as the overseer of DPO, currently the organization purchases 400 tons of raw milk daily beyond the MOU agreement. However, only about 300 tons are consumed through sales and school milk quotas, leaving a gap of approximately 80 tons that go into UHT processing and inventory following standard procedures. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is reviewing the MOU for possible revisions, but any changes must not negatively impact dairy farmers. He emphasized that if DPO can continue operating, the farmers will also continue, reaffirming that the ministry is working swiftly to prevent any adverse effects on farmers.