Briefs

The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC)’ board has approved the provision of low-interest loans of up to Bt10 million each to farmer groups undertaking programmes to develop their agricultural products. 
The BAAC will lend up to Bt20 billion under the programme, targeting 2,000 farmer groups to get the five-year loans, the bank’s executive vice president Supat Eauchai said yesterday. 
He added that the loans would carry an interest rate of 3.01 per cent per annum but qualifying agricultural groups would pay only 0.01 per cent, with the government paying the remaining 3 per cent. 
Those targeted for the programme include agricultural cooperatives and agricultural-community enterprises. 
Applications for the programme are being accepted now through April 30. The loans must be paid back by December 31, 2021. 

CPF SETS FOOT IN POLAND

Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) has signed a cooperation agreement with SuperDrob Capital Group, a food company in Poland. Pursuant to the agreement, CPF will ultimately hold an approximately 33-per-cent interest in SuperDrob. 
CPF signed a preliminary share subscription agreement with SuperDrob Zaklady Drobiarsko-Miesne and a preliminary share purchase agreement with SuperDrob’s shareholders last Friday to acquire about 33 per cent of the ordinary shares of SuperDrob after its capital increase. 
The total consideration is 49.5 million euros (Bt1.85 billion). 
SuperDrob exports half of its products, mainly to Britain, France, Germany and other EU countries as well as China. It has been in the market for 23 years.