Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Mananya Thaiset said the sale of dairy products has also dropped because the outbreak has weakened people’s purchasing power, while foreigners are not able to enter Thailand due to restrictions.

She added that the closure of schools has had an impact on dairy farmers because school milk cannot be sold commercially.

"The only way to ease dairy farmers’ suffering is to purchase 213 million cartons of school milk at Bt7 per carton,” she said.

The Cabinet has also instructed the ministry to come up with ways of increasing the value of the milk, such as processing it into whipped cream or cheese, and promoting the consumption of dairy products.

Cabinet sets aside Bt1.47 bn to buy school milk from affected farmers

The Cabinet on Tuesday earmarked Bt1.47 billion to purchase 213 million cartons of school milk to help ease dairy farmers’ suffering after their earnings dropped once schools were closed due to the new wave of Covid-19 infections.