Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Visits Coconut Breeze to Review the Community Coconut Hub Project

Mrs. Suphajee Suthumpun, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, visited Coconut Breeze Damnoen Saduak Co., Ltd. in Ratchaburi Province to review progress on the “Community Aromatic Coconut Hub” project. The site currently serves as the temporary base of the Thai Aromatic Coconut Central Market Community Enterprise.

The visit focused on reviewing how the community hub is managed as a working model, and on developing management practices that are efficient, practical to replicate, and able to strengthen both farmers and businesses across the aromatic coconut industry.

During the visit, the Deputy Prime Minister met with local coconut growers and business operators to hear directly about conditions, challenges, and recommendations from those working within the supply chain. The discussion covered a systematic approach to upgrading the Thai aromatic coconut industry across the entire chain — from crop aggregation and market management to processing, access to capital, and value creation from every part of the coconut.

A further priority was advancing the circular economy, so that agricultural resources deliver their fullest value, waste is reduced, and new economic opportunities are created for local communities.

Coconut Breeze Damnoen Saduak Co., Ltd. places strong emphasis on creating value from agricultural by-products, particularly coconut residues, by developing them into products and alternative uses under a zero-waste approach. The aim is to reduce waste volume, improve resource efficiency, and add value to materials once regarded as discards.

Beyond improving resource management within the industry, this approach generates supplementary income and economic opportunity for people in the community, helping raise farmers' quality of life and build long-term strength in the grassroots economy.

The visit marks a further step in cooperation between government, the private sector, farmers, and community enterprises — working together so that the Thai aromatic coconut industry can grow efficiently, add value across the supply chain, and move toward sustainable development.