One Million Cows Project Suffered Delays From Political Problems

[Jai Dee]

One million cows project suffered delays from political problems, but expected to conclude well in the end

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Adisorn Piengkes (อดิศร เพียงเกษ) has admitted that the "one million cow-raising families" project has been affected by political problems. However, he expects the process of delivering cows to raisers would be well-concluded in the end.

Mr. Adisorn today chaired a meeting of the committee responsible for administering the project, and revealed afterwards that the meeting deemed that the “one million cows” project should go on. Mr. Adisorn said the project has been delayed by two months resulting from political problems.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives will report the project's progression to the cabinet in the upcoming cabinet meeting session this Tuesday. As of the 24th of this month, 2,727 cows have been given to 1,366 agriculturists, involving a budget usage of 27.8 million baht.

This year, the ministry has targeted delivery of cows to 250,000 raisers. The project will conclude in year 2008, where by that time cows would have to be distributed to a million families. Mr. Adisorn said he will try to reach the target, but this would depend largely on political problems.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 28 April 2006

[sriracha john]

OMG!...

I knew the 1,000,000 cow program was in disarray, but had no idea it was THAT bad....

2,700 cows out of 1,000,000?!?!

They're running neck-in-neck with the Thai Elite Card...

what is THAT one up too? 1,900 or something like that?

1,900 cards out of 1,000,000?!?!

This government LOVES to talk up huge size.... but in reality, is really quite small...

(sorry for the shower-room talk)

[Plus]

What are they going to do with all those cows after collecting them back from farmers? There's limited demand for beef in Thailand. If raising beef and exporting it was plausible, farmers would have jumped on it long time ago, like with shrimp and chickens.

[RamdomChances]

As of the 24th of this month, 2,727 cows have been given to 1,366 agriculturists, involving a budget usage of 27.8 million baht.

I just did the maths on that and it works out to just over 100,000 bhat a cow

[stumonster]

As of the 24th of this month, 2,727 cows have been given to 1,366 agriculturists, involving a budget usage of 27.8 million baht.

I just did the maths on that and it works out to just over 100,000 bhat a cow

RC , not all of that 100k is spent on purchasing the cow .

say (generously) 20k to buy the cow , then 5k for transportation and vetinary and the 75k for the administration costs of getting that one cow to the pasture. see , it is all accountable ...

[sriracha john]

They'll recoup any losses from the manure the government .... errr, I mean, the cows... produce.

[Thaising]

Sweet talks and knowing that the project would never success, rural folks who obtained the cow without knowing the hidden process will be in great debt.

[astral]

It brings a whole new meaning to the Thai word(s) Moo Bahn......

[cclub75]

It sounds like China. 50 years ago.

At least, Mao Tse Toung was much more "modest" when he launched his campagne "The Hundred Flowers".

[mickyboy104]

Sounds aload of bullocks to me

[sriracha john]

Government says it's not our fault the hastily thrown together program sucks, it's the "dumb" farmers fault:

Cows for million families scheme unlikely to meet target

The much-criticised Cows For One Million Families project is unlikely to meet this year's target due to the political crisis and lack of understanding among farmers, caretaker Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Adisorn Piengkes said yesterday. Some members of a committee overseeing the project recently expressed doubt that its target of lending cows to 250,000 farming families by this year's end would be achieved.

Mr Adisorn said the on-going political stalemate had hindered the project, one of Thai Rak Thai party's flagship projects designed to raise farmers' income.

He dismissed criticism that the project was making slow progress because it was poorly-designed, arguing that the lack of understanding among farmers of how the project worked was more to blame. Under the scheme, a company is to be set up under the so-called Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to acquire one million calves for lending to farmers who agree to raise them.

The farmers then return grown cattle and get paid based on the additional weight of each cow, or they can earn income by selling the cows' offspring. The target is to distribute calves to 250,000 farming families this year, another 350,000 families next year, and the remaining 400,000 in 2008. However, only about 2,700 cows have been distributed to about 1,300 farmers in 16 provinces so far, said a livestock official in charge of the project.

The SPV company has already spent 400 million baht to buy calves. It would have to seek five billion baht in loans to run the project, and an insurance fund must be set up to secure the firm's financial status in case some participants in the scheme fail to return grown cattle to the company, he said.

Problems had emerged because the project was launched in haste. For example, the firm could not acquire enough calves for distribution because breeders refused to sell them, while many farmers still did not know enough about cattle raising and needed training before joining the scheme.

- BP

[sriracha john]

"The SPV company has already spent 400 million baht to buy calves. It would have to seek five billion baht in loans to run the project."

sheesh.....

[ando]

I sincerely hope the prject works out. It might bring the price of beef down over there.

[teletiger]

I sincerely hope the prject works out. It might bring the price of beef down over there.

How much would you like the price to come down to? At the moment farmers get 45Baht per kilo on the hoof, or 85 Baht per kilo for a dressed out carcase.

regards.

[Thaising]

I sincerely hope the prject works out. It might bring the price of beef down over there.

Provided there weren’t any mad cow diseases, which the government covers up the previous bird flu epidemics.

[stumonster]

Provided there weren’t any mad cow diseases, which the government covers up the previous bird flu epidemics.

There is an epidemic of mad bureaucratic disease out there .

[Maejo Man]

I sincerely hope the prject works out. It might bring the price of beef down over there.

Where are they going to sell it? The majority of Thais don't eat beef, and some are downright allergic to it.

Mooving along It's just another vote buying scheme of a grand order.

[astral]

Provided there weren’t any mad cow diseases, which the government covers up the previous bird flu epidemics.

There is an epedemic of mad bureaucratic disease out there .

[otherstuff1957]

Does anyone here - like Random Chances for instance - know what a calf actually costs in Thailand? Is 100K baht a reasonable figure or is it grossly inflated.

[RamdomChances]

Does anyone here - like Random Chances for instance - know what a calf actually costs in Thailand? Is 100K baht a reasonable figure or is it grossly inflated.

Grossly inflated would be an understatment, as a general rule of thumb for Brahimn (Thai) cattle think about 1000 baht/month of age......thats a very rough guide Thai/Charolise more expensive. I have'nt really looks into the details of the scheme, so dont know what age or breed they are giving. I be suprised if it was more than 10-15,000

Another problem with it is alledgedly the distribution at local level, the cows are suposed to go to the poor needy people, how do you prove how poor and needy you are ? By slipping the Pu Yai in charge a backhander of course

[plachon]

Does anyone here - like Random Chances for instance - know what a calf actually costs in Thailand? Is 100K baht a reasonable figure or is it grossly inflated.

Grossly inflated would be an understatment, as a general rule of thumb for Brahimn (Thai) cattle think about 1000 baht/month of age......thats a very rough guide Thai/Charolise more expensive. I have'nt really looks into the details of the scheme, so dont know what age or breed they are giving. I be suprised if it was more than 10-15,000

Another problem with it is alledgedly the distribution at local level, the cows are suposed to go to the poor needy people, how do you prove how poor and needy you are ? By slipping the Pu Yai in charge a backhander of course

And no doubt everyone will be watching carefully to see who is given the reigns of this SPV company, which is about to take a loan of 5 billion baht, on top of the subsidies it will no doubt be assured from govt. Nice little contract for someone linked to Mr T I'm sure, which already is going the way of the Elite Card fiasco.

The word on the soi in Kalasin is that there are farmers out there who received cows under the scheme who are really pissed, as they'd been promised big, sexy floppy eared cows, but got wee Thai ones instead, so now want to return them. Just no pleasing some people. Pesky farmers ruining everything. Tsk! tsk!

[sriracha john]

UPDATE

and yet another Thaksin scam program falls flat on its face...

Villagers blast TAO over sub-standard buffaloes

Upset with the poor condition of buffaloes given to them under a cattle-loan project, residents of Tambon Nong Phra yesterday returned 11 of the beasts to their local tambon administrative organisation (TAO).

"We have raised these buffaloes for two years already and we believe this is not going to work," said Chaiwat Chao-obtom, 36, one of the locals who rallied outside the TAO office yesterday until officials agreed to take the buffaloes back.

Chaiwat said the Tambon Nong Phra Administrative Organisation launched the cattle-loan project in 2005. The project allocated Bt250,000 to each village in the tambon to buy pregnant buffaloes that would be loaned to residents to raise. The residents were to get the first calf "free" from the buffaloes.

"Things were suspicious from the start because the buffaloes we received were far from what they showed us when we joined the project," Chaiwat said.

Instead of fat and healthy buffaloes, Chaiwat said participants in the project were given small, ailing animals.

"If we had bought such buffaloes from the market, they would have cost us no more than Bt20,000 each," he said.

Some of the buffaloes gave birth to calves in the past two years, after which the participants felt it was time to call it quits.

"Two of the loaned buffaloes died. The local people had to buy replacements," Chaiwat said.

Muang Donpai, another participant in the project, said he wanted to return the buffaloes because he was afraid they would die. "And if they die, I will have to pay for the replacements," he said.

Chaiwat said the TAO had previously demanded that the project's participants return the loaned buffaloes along with their first calf.

"If that's the condition, it means we have raised the buffaloes for free. We can't accept that," Chaiwat said.

Another participant, Thongkham Phothong, said he was hurt to overhear some of the tambon officials saying, "We have bought buffaloes for buffaloes to raise".

In Thai, "buffalo" is an insulting term used to describe someone as stupid.

Following the rally yesterday, the TAO officials agreed to take back the buffaloes without asking for their calves as well.

"We will convene a meeting to decide what to do with these buffaloes. If no one wants to borrow them, we may auction them off," said TAO executive Dejpoom Iadwoon.

- The Nation

Edited May 1, 2007 by sriracha john

[plachon]

Well, no surprises there SRJ.

T'was bound to happen, with the only surprise being that the farmers are only complaining now, rather than sooner. Expect they have been complaining all along, but no journos have been that interested in the story til now.

This is one of the projects that her luvverliness Sudarat, was up to her snout in, and it was a TRT apparatchik wua and kwai free for all, in every province across Isaan.

[sriracha john]

With her involvement, I'm surprised she wasn't mistakenly given away to a farmer in rural Kalasin...

but then, the farmer would have quickly figured out the cattle ate less:

Edited May 1, 2007 by sriracha john

[chownah]

Instead of fat and healthy buffaloes, Chaiwat said participants in the project were given small, ailing animals.

Yes, indeed.....the sick buffalo has always been the best money maker in all of Isaan....probably always will be.

[ratcatcher]

To the bovine experts (expats) on this board, I have a question

Which kind of cattle were to be given to the peasants?

Brahmin cattle or water buffaloes (carabaos)?

The water buffaloes are draft animals and the brahmins are meat animals.Is that correct.

A million? Incredible.

Edited May 1, 2007 by ratcatcher

[sriracha john]

To the bovine experts (expats) on this board, I have a question

Which kind of cattle were to be given to the peasants?

Brahmin cattle or water buffaloes (carabaos)?

The water buffaloes are draft animals and the brahmins are meat animals.Is that correct.

A million? Incredible.

Going a little back into the archives and the answer to your questions seems to be both. It started off being cattle only, but when that unsurprisingly started to run into snags, TRT decided to throw in buffalo to bolster their numbers. In the end, as the numbers in this thread point... a minuscule and paltry 2700 beasts were delivered out the impractical and unreasonable 1,000,000 microchip-imbedded animals that was so grandiosely announced. In the battle of the "1,000,000 goal scams" and despite it's insanely abysmal results, this Thaksin scam still managed to just nose out the the other Thaksin scam... the Thai Elite card.

Korat to get cattle first

The government has chosen Nakhon Ratchasima to launch its “One Million Cattle” project early next month, Deputy Agriculture Minister Adisorn Piengket said yesterday.

He said the government would buy cattle from local farmers to give to needy families as part of the scheme to provide one million families nationwide with a cow or a bull.

He added that the cattle would be fitted with microchips so that the government could track the success of the scheme.

The “One Million Cattle” scheme was one of several populist policies put forward by the Thai Rak Thai Party during its last election campaign.

The Nation, Published on October 17, 2005

==================

Buffaloes included in cow scheme

The Livestock Development Department plans to add buffalo to the government's "Cows for a Million Families" initiative until the gentle giants make up 10 per cent of the entire project, director-general Yukol Limlamthong said yesterday.

There are about 1.7 million buffalo in Thailand and the department aims to increase that by 30,000 to 50,000 a year with artificial insemination technology, he said. The department officials will be sent out to hastily collect buffalo semen, which will be frozen.

Yukol said he was confident that targets would be met in three years.

The Nation, Published on March 8, 2006

Edited May 2, 2007 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

UPDATE... Thaksin's "sacred cow" is dying....

No more free cows

The Cabinet on Tuesday will be asked to cancel the populist "One Million Cows" project initiated by the previous administration, as it had milked the government for over 100 million baht.

Deputy Prime Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham said the Agriculture Ministry's proposal was accepted by the meeting of the Cabinet agenda screening committee that he chaired yesterday.

The Livestock Development Department and Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives would be assigned to help the 8,962 farmers raise the 17,835 cows that they received under the project until they can sell them and complete their contracts, he said.

Prices of live cows have dropped and the 420 million baht special purpose vehicle set up by the government to run the project under the Marketing Organisation for Farmers had suffered a loss of 120 million baht. Liquidation of the special purpose vehicle (SPV) would leave about 300 million baht to return to the Finance Ministry, he said.

To assist the farmers to make the most out of the supplementary income project, the screening committee agreed that the SPV and farmers should split the profit from selling the cows at a 10:90 ratio. If any farmer sold the scheme's cows without authorisation, the SPV could take legal action against that person, he added.

- The Nation

=====================================================

The thread's subtitle:

"but expected to conclude well in the end"

doesn't look like it is going to materialize.

Edited November 14, 2007 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

Paiboon opposes reviving cow project

Deputy PM Paiboon Wattanasiritham will ask the cabinet next Tuesday to reject a request to revive the One Million Cow distribution project. The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry hopes to revive the scheme, which was initiated by the Thaksin Shinawatra government. Paiboon said yesterday his committee screening cabinet meeting agendas stood firm on its position. The project must be scrapped, because it did not benefit participating farmers. He confirmed that the farmers who entered the program would be compensated. The Thaksin government launched the cow distribution project in 2005. It planned to distribute a million calves to farmers to raise. The farmers would later sell the cattle back to the state. The government of the time set up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) company to handle the project. It was to buy cattle back from farmers, but take a 10% cut from the profits the farmers made from the sale. The company also charged a management fee. Paiboon will also ask the cabinet to order the SPV to exempt participating farmers from its management fee and pay 1,000 baht per cow as compensation to the farmers who lost opportunities to make profits due to the low market price of cattle. The SPV received a fund of 420 million baht from the state for its operation. The project has so far cost the state 120 million baht, Paiboon said.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/15Nov2007_news04.php

[astral]

They'll recoup any losses from the manure the government .... errr, I mean, the cows... produce.

With the lower numbers there will be a reduction in the amount of Greenhouse gases that are produce by the cows.

However the government will compensate with a load of hot air.