Govt to launch 14 development projects in southern border provinces
The government has 14 projects in the pipeline that will be “New Year presents” for residents of the deep South, deputy government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek said on Saturday.
She said the “big projects” can be implemented immediately to help form a sustainable foundation for the region’s economy.
The projects are aimed at improving the quality of life of the region’s residents, Rachada said, adding that they will be implemented by relevant state agencies in collaboration with the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre.
Rachada said that four of the projects are part of an effort to turn the southern border provinces into a “metropolis of halal food and services for the world market”. They include increasing the number of dairy cows by at least 50,000 and the number of goats by at least 20,000 to ensure there is a sufficient supply of ingredients to make halal food products.
Other projects include increased farming of crabs and expanding plantations for fruit and biofuel by at least 50,000 rai (8,000 hectares).
Rachada was speaking in her capacity as a special government representative tasked with tackling the problems faced by residents of the southern border provinces.
Four other projects directly address the urgent needs of local residents, she said. These include improving maternal and child nutrition, providing free lunches to about 170,000 students at 1,875 religious schools, teaching foreign languages, and lifting at least 1,200 households out of poverty.
Other projects will encourage greater participation of local residents in government and strengthen pluralism, Rachada said.
