Page 57 - FoodFocusThailand No.154 January 2019

SITE VISITTE VISIT
SI

Thai-Danish Dairy Farm

Thailand’s First UHT Milk...Started Here

For more than 140 kilometers from Bangkok From The Dense Jungle…To Dairy Cow Farming
to Saraburi, we can catch on an agro-tourism The Danish government offered full support by sending a team of experts
jointly conducted a land survey located along side Mitraphap Road, in
welcoming destination at the Dairy Farming Promotion the Muak Lek district of Saraburi province. The Survey Committee
Organization of Thailand or DPO where the rich history determined that a plot of approximately 3,000 rais of land was suitable
to be developed to be the first Thailand’s dairy farm. Their Majesties King
of the first dairy farming in Thailand is. Over here, they Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX), King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid
offer a dairy demonstration farm and the systematic presided over the opening ceremony of the Thai-Danish Dairy Farm at
the Farm Building 1962 on 16 January 1962, which was the day of the
transfer of knowledge to create a career that farmers dairy industry in Thailand. In this regard, the Danish government appointed
can earn a living for themselves and their families in a Mr.Niels Gunnar Søndergaard as the first director of the farm and the
Dairy Farming Training Center in which he played an important role in
sustainable way. It can be said that this royal granted setting up a standard dairy farm management system.
occupation is originated with the benevolence of His On 31 August 1971, with the benevolence of His Majesty King
Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX), a royal legislative decree was
Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. promulgated to establish the Thai-Danish Dairy Farm a state enterprise
under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, named Dairy Farming
The First Chapter Begins Promotion Organization of Thailand (DPO).
From June 1960 to 18 January 1961, His Majesty the late King On 19 October 1971, the Danish government handed over the dairy
Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX) accompanied by Her Majesty farming business to the Royal Thai government and Dr. Yod Wattanasin
Queen Sirikit, the queen consort of the former King Bhumibol, paid was appointed as the first Thai director at DPO.
an official visit to several European countries including England,
Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Italy, From Farmers…. to DPO Muak Lek Dairy Plant
Vatican City, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Over 100 dairy cows in this farm are natural
the Netherlands and Spain. farming. The raw milk produced here and from
Here in the land of dairy cows, Denmark, farmers' farms will be delivered to all 5 locations
His Majesty the King was greatly interested of DPO’s dairy plants that are Muak Lek Dairy
in the dairy farming business. His Majesty Plant in Saraburi province, Chiang Mai Dairy
envisaged that dairy farming would provide Plant in Chiang Mai province, Pranburi Dairy
nutritious foods for Thai people and at the Plant in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, Khon
same time provide the farmers with a secured Kaen Dairy plant in Khon Kaen province, and
occupation in replacement of slash-and-burn Sukhothai Dairy Plant in Sukhothai province.
agriculture, which in turn would help to solve Those raw milk will be dropped off at the dairy
the deforestation problem. plants to process into UHT milk, pasteurized
milk, yogurt and ice cream products.

JAN 2019 FOOD FOCUS THAILAND 57

55-58_Site Visit_Denmark.indd 57 21/12/2561 BE 11:11