COCONUT farmers dumped their produce in front of Parliament today (March 19) in protest of plummeting prices of aromatic coconuts and gave the government 30 days to take action with a warning that they will escalate their demonstration if no progress is made, Naewna newspaper and TNA said.
A representative of the farmers said aromatic coconuts, a national export product, are currently selling for 3-4 baht per fruit, down from previous highs of over 30 baht, a burden farmers have borne for the past eight months.
Three People’s representatives, Mr. Anupap Likit-amnuaychai, an MP from Samut Songkhram Constituency 1, Mr. Sorsak Somrakraisornkit, a party-listed MP, and Mr. Decharat Sukkamnerd, director of this camp’s Future Policy Centre, received the farmers’ letter to submit to the government.
The coconut farmers said they had previously submitted letters to the government asking for assistance but the solutions that were implemented were inadequate. They are currently bearing heavy burdens with prices of fertilizer and pesticide having risen as the Middle East war rages on while prices of agricultural products, especially coconuts and a few other crops, remain low.
Furthermore, no government agency has provided substantial assistance, they said, pointing out that despite the Commerce Ministry’s promise of establishing a central processing plant and selling aromatic coconuts at petrol pumps, concrete results have not been seen. What farmers need most is serious government action to resolve the issue.
“We will give the government 30 days. If prices of aromatic coconuts do not improve, we will escalate our protest by marching to Government House alongside a large number of coconut trucks to greet the Prime Minister and relevant ministers,” a farmer representative said.
Decharat said People’s has been aware of this problem for a long time with his camp’s opinion being that the government’s solutions are unclear and ineffective.
People’s is presenting three demands to the government as follows:
– If the purchasing and distribution process, whether through petrol pumps or other channels, fails to raise prices as expected, the government should consider faster purchasing options, including the state itself purchasing this produce for processing as this would quickly boost prices.
– Regarding the central processing plant mentioned by the Commerce Ministry, farmers are concerned about its effectiveness. Although two to three weeks have passed, there is still no clarity on the operational model, responsible parties, or timeline. If concrete implementation cannot be achieved, farmers should be given the opportunity to participate in designing the process to ensure maximum fairness.
– The crucial issue of upholding standards as the reputation of Thai agricultural products would be affected with this stemming from the adulteration of coconut water both domestically and internationally, the Agriculture and Cooperatives and Commerce ministries must work together concretely to ensure that Thai aromatic coconuts remain top-quality globally.
CAPTION:
Coconut farmers protesting outside Parliament today, March 19, 2026. Photos – Naewna
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