Page 27 - SD REPORT อสค

History of Dairy Farming Promotion Organization of Thailand (DPO) has been started by the royal trip of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great and Her Majesty QueenSirikit The Queen Mother, in Europe during September 1960.
At that time, while staying in Denmark, His Majesty was very impressed with the Danish dairy farming business, and with the royal vision that dairy farming would help Thai people get low price good nutrition, and would help them settle down with stable occupation.
And this became the starting point of technical collaboration on dairy farming business between government of Thailand and government of Denmark.
A year earlier, Mr.Niels Gunnar Sndergaard, Danish swine production specialist at FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization, United Nation), joined forces with the Department of Livestock Development, during the year 1955 – 1959. He noticed that, Thai people didn’t know about dairy cows, and they consumed only tiny amounts of milk. After returning to Denmark in 1959, Mr.Sondergaard pursued the idea of establishing a dairy farm, and a dairy farming training center in Thailand, to the Danish Agricultural Marketing Board.
Later, in January 1961, Danish expert team came to survey and search for proper area to establish a demonstration dairy farm, and training center. And they found that Muak Lek District, Saraburi Province was proper, because of its magnificent valley, abundant clean waterresources,andnotfarfromBangkok market. th
OnOctober20 ,1961,thetechnical support agreement was signed between
government of Thailand and government of Denmark. The Danish Agricultural Marketing Board subsidized 4.33 million Kroner (orapproximately 23.5 million Baht at that time) for project operation during 8 years, which was bestowed upon the royal aspirations, and attention to dairy farming.
After returning to Thailand of His Majesty, on January 16th, 1962, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great and King Frederick IX of Denmark presided over the official opening ceremony of the dairy farm. and the Thai-Danish Dairy Training Center, and this day was the most important day of dairy farming history in Thailand.
In 1971, Thai government has transferred Thai-Danish Dairy Farming and training center, to become a state enterprise, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives namely, Dairy Farming Promotion Organization of Thailand (DPO). Located at 160 Mittraphab Road, Muak Lek District. Saraburi Province.
Since then DPO has played major roles in promoting dairy farming, and developing dairy industry. Besides, Thai government respectively has set the date of January 17th of every year, as the National Dairy Milk Day. With His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great’s royal delicaiton with dairy farming for decades, so that His Majesty was also known as “Father of Thai Dairy Farming”.
25