Ban Bueng, Chonburi – December 11th, 2025
Minister of Industry Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana led a high-level team to Nong Chak, Ban Bueng district on Thursday afternoon to kick off a flagship community economic programme aimed at creating supplementary occupations for over 300 residents of Tambon Nong Irun.
The visit took place at the Chonburi Provincial Agricultural Occupation Association in Moo 1, Tambon Nong Chak, where more than 300 local people are currently undergoing short-term vocational training courses in:
– Scented spa candles
– Tie-dye fabrics
– Plastic-strip woven baskets
– Artificial funeral flowers (dried joss flowers)
The hands-on programme, fully funded by the Ministry of Industry, is designed to unlock grassroots economic potential by turning local raw materials and cultural wisdom into marketable products, while also providing access to low-interest loans so participants can start small businesses.
Minister Thanakorn stated that the initiative directly supports the urgent economic policies of Prime Minister Anutin Chanuvirakul, with a focus on strengthening the grassroots economy so communities can generate sustainable income and eventually become self-reliant.
“This project is about giving people new skills, then giving them the funding to turn those skills into real supplementary jobs that can bring money into households and keep it circulating in the local economy.”
Accompanying the minister were Advisor Ployrabhas Singh Thong, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, the Chonburi provincial industry officials, Chonburi MP Jirawut Singh Thong (Chonburi constituency 4), Deputy Governor Chaiyaporn Paephiromrat, the District Chief of Ban Bueng, Col. Krit Masukphon, Superintendent of Ban Bueng Police Station, and Nong Irun Kamnan Jumpita Singh Thong Irun among other local leaders who welcomed the delegation.
Expected outcomes for participants include an additional average of around 1,000 baht per month per household from side income, translating into an estimated increase of over 300,000 baht circulating monthly across the subdistrict. If scaled nationwide as planned the model could inject billions into rural economies.
The Ministry has already pledged to replicate similar training across Thailand, with special emphasis on enabling trainees’ easier access to soft loans so they can purchase tools and materials without falling prey to informal lenders.
“We aren’t just teaching how to make a candle or weave baskets,” said Minister Thanakorn. We are teaching packaging design, online marketing, how much things actually cost versus profit margins, and meeting Thai community product standards and M.P.Ch standards so that when they do go sell either at weekend markets or Facebook Live they will succeed.”
Successful local entrepreneurs were also invited during Thursday’s launch so they could share their stories while representatives from the SME Development Bank of Thailand (SME DBank) were present offering on-site advice through Industrial Transformation Centers.
The scheme falls under the Ministry’s broader “Break Through – Fight Through – Pull Forward” new-era industrial reform policy which is being positioned as Thailand’s blueprint for navigating global volatility while lifting living costs by pushing inclusive manufacturing right down into villages rather than just factories along highways.
Officials confirmed this Ban Bueng pilot will serve as the nationwide rollout template with expansion already underway into dozens of more districts before the end of fiscal next year.
