Further assistance by Government to SMEs



BANGKOK: -- The government continues to help small business operators by endorsing the proposal of the SME Promotion Committee to lend up to one million baht from the SME Recovery Fund to each eligible operator.

This was disclosed by Mrs Salinee Wangtal, the director of the Office of SMEs Promotion Committee.

Mrs Salinee said SMEs eligible to loans from the fund must be evaluated to have potential to continue their businesses.

As The NNT reported, each SME can borrow up to one million baht with no interest for seven years, she said.

The committee also approved the fourth SME promotion plan with the objective to develop “SME 4.0.”

She said these SMEs will receive support to innovate in line with the market’s demands and export them to other countries.

She added that the office has set a target to increase the country’s SME GDP to 50% of the national GDP by the year 2019.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/assistance-government-smes/


-- Thai PBS 2016-07-29

"...borrow up to one million baht with no interest for seven years..."

This hair-brained and irresponsible scheme (of constantly throwing good money after bad through the "populist" support of high-risk SME ventures) is destined to leave a future democratically-elected government with one big legacy problem.

As for Salinee's statement that "... these SMEs will receive support to innovate in line with the market’s demands and export them to other countries" - what actually will be exported? The demands; the innovations; or, perhaps the SMEs themselves?