Floods Hit Over 95,000 Cooperative Farmers Across 29 Provinces
Flooding across Thailand from September 16‑28, 2026, affected nearly 95,500 cooperative farmers in 29 provinces, damaging 476 cooperatives and farmer groups. Authorities have launched relief efforts, including food distribution and financial assistance, with a focus on Bangkok’s 50 districts. The Department of Cooperatives Promotion is coordinating aid and assessing damage to provide targeted support.
An assessment of damage to agricultural cooperatives shows that flood affected members in 29 provinces, with 476 cooperatives and farmer groups impacted and 95,422 individuals affected. Officials are preparing relief measures for debt, capital, and business recovery.
Nirandra Muthida, Director-General of the Department of Cooperatives Promotion, said that flooding from September 16‑28, 2026, caused widespread impact, especially in Bangkok where all 50 districts were hit by heavy to very heavy rain, raising water levels and disrupting livelihoods. According to a preliminary survey, the impact spans five regions: North (5 provinces, 31 cooperatives, 6,272 members), Central (12 provinces, 173 cooperatives, 13,145 members), East (8 provinces, 123 cooperatives, 33,025 members), Northeast (3 provinces, 37 cooperatives, 4,025 members), and Bangkok’s 50 districts (112 cooperatives, 38,955 members).
The Department of Cooperatives Promotion has set up a monitoring and assistance center for cooperative members and farmer groups affected by flooding in 2026 to serve as a hub for tracking the situation, gathering and assessing damage data, and determining appropriate assistance measures aligned with the needs of victims in each area.
It has assigned the Bangkok Cooperative Promotion Office – Areas 1 and 2, as well as provincial cooperative offices in affected areas, to quickly survey data on cooperative members, farmer groups, marketing equipment, assets, and business operations of affected cooperatives, and to coordinate with relevant agencies to ensure assistance is swift, comprehensive, and matches victims’ needs.
For urgent relief, the department has mobilized executives, civil servants, and staff to set up field kitchens to prepare cooked meals and prepare drinking water for affected cooperative members, farmer groups, and the public in Bangkok.
Starting September 28, 2026, they prepared 2,500 meal boxes with drinking water to distribute to flood victims in five districts: Chatuchak, Bang Kapi, Khlong Sam Wa, the Nida‑Flat Khlong Chan intersection, and Bueng Kum, covering housing and credit union cooperatives in the affected areas.
On September 29, 2026, Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives Piyarat Tiyaiparakh, together with the Director-General of the Department of Cooperatives Promotion and executives, visited the Nida‑Flat Khlong Chan intersection and the Hua Mak Housing Cooperative Village, Soi Seri Thai 57, to distribute meal boxes, drinks, and essential goods, and to listen to people’s problems and needs in order to coordinate further assistance with relevant agencies.
The department also coordinated with the national cooperative movement and networks to deliver necessary supplies to flood victims. On September 29, 2026, the Northeastern cooperative movement and network, led by the Kaset Wisai Agricultural Cooperative Ltd of Roi Et province, donated 1,200 bags of rice, each 5 kilograms, totaling six tonnes, for distribution to victims in Bangkok and its vicinity.
