Thailand Creates New Housing Cooperative for Low-Income Families
Thailand's Agriculture Ministry is creating a new type of housing cooperative to help low-income families secure affordable housing and land rights by removing outdated legal restrictions.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is accelerating the drafting of a new regulation to establish Type 8 Cooperatives (Housing Cooperatives), removing legal restrictions to improve living standards and housing rights for urban poor and low-income earners. Sarawut Neungchamnong, Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, revealed this after receiving petitions and hearing concerns from representatives of the Poor People's Movement for Land and Housing Rights (KPSK) who visited the ministry. The ministry recognizes the struggles poor and low-income communities face regarding agricultural land and housing, including informal settlement residents and affected populations across the country. It has therefore ordered the Department of Cooperative Promotion to urgently review and remove legal restrictions. The latest progress involves drafting a ministerial regulation to establish Type 8 Cooperatives, or Housing Cooperatives, to clearly and efficiently support community-based land and housing management. This will unlock the outdated legal framework that currently recognizes only seven cooperative types, bringing regulations in line with how the secure housing program actually operates.
Implementing this policy demonstrates the Agriculture Ministry's genuine commitment to working closely with the public. After receiving the petition from poor people's representatives, the ministry immediately ordered responsible agencies to expedite regulatory review and conduct comprehensive impact assessments. The ministry aims to launch public hearings to gather citizen input by August and complete the regulatory improvements within the established timeline to provide security and reassurance to all members nationwide. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has committed to rolling out Type 8 Cooperatives as quickly as possible, calling it a historic milestone for Thailand's cooperative system. These new cooperatives will sustainably manage community resources including land, housing, and savings groups across the country. By dismantling outdated structural and regulatory barriers, the government aims to transform public service delivery, improve basic welfare, elevate living standards, and create genuine stability for farmers and low-income earners.
