This is equivalent to 77.64 per cent of the target of 59,875 Village Funds in categories A and B.
Sansern said this meant 2.38 million villagers would benefit directly from this scheme, which came with a condition that Village Funds must not use it to refinance old debt. Contract signings by all the eligible Village Fund applicants should be completed by December 31, he added.
Under the programme, up to Bt1 million in no-interest loans will be given to each Village Fund via Government Savings Bank (GSB) and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC).
As each bank set aside Bt30 billion for the scheme, GSB has so far received 24,405 applications and approved loans worth more than Bt21 billion to 21,205 funds, while the BAAC has received 22,084 applications and approved loans worth more than Bt16.3 billion to 17,478 funds.