Factors influencing the agribusiness of agricultural cooperatives in Thailand | |
| Author | Anchalee Nuansri |
| Call Number | AIT Diss no.AB-24-01 |
| Subject(s) | Agricultural industries--Management--Thailand Agriculture--Economic aspects--Thailand Agriculture, Cooperative--Thailand |
| Note | A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in AgriBusiness Management |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. AB-24-01 |
| Abstract | Agricultural cooperatives (ACs) play a fundamental role in the development and growth of the agricultural sector. Meanwhile, ACs in Thailand, which account for the largest proportion of cooperatives in the country, are suffering from declining profits and volume in agribusiness. Some of the existing ACs are not engaged in agribusiness in the form of input and output services, which should be the main business of ACs. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the factors influencing profit, agribusiness volume, and agribusiness choices of agricultural cooperatives. To achieve these objectives, multiple linear regression, Tobit regression, and multinomial logistic regression were used. The population of this study was agricultural cooperatives in the northeast and the south of Thailand. These are the two regions with the highest number of agricultural cooperatives. Questionnaires and in-depth interviews were used to collect data. In addition, this study examined the factors that hinder or enable the existence or development of agribusiness in an agricultural cooperative and explores guidelines for agribusiness development from the perspective of agricultural cooperatives.The results of the multiple linear regression showed that operating capital, the presence of a trading business, and average payback have a positive influence on profit. In contrast, the number of cooperative members and the number of staff members have a negative impact on profit. The results of the multinomial logistic regression indicated that the number of members, the presence of a manager, the presence of a cooperative office, and the ability to raise funds have a significant positive impact on the likelihood of conducting agribusiness in ACs. The results of the Tobit regression also suggested that the number of members, the level of participation, operating capital, number of product types, average payback, sale of goods on credit, provision of collecting produce on every business day, and agribusiness network have a positive and significant influence on the agribusiness volume. In addition, this study has identified the main factors that hinder and enable the establishment and development of an agribusiness in the ACs. Suggestions and guidelines for the development of an agribusiness and the ACs were also provided.Based on the findings of this study, agricultural cooperatives need to improve their management efficiency and adjust their business strategies to increase the volume of agribusiness and their competitiveness. In addition, ACs need to create incentives to increase their competitiveness, such as providing an average payback to members who participate in their business. In order to attract more members or farmers to use the cooperatives’ services, cooperatives should focus on strengthening their operating capital. |
| Year | 2024 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. AB-24-01 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development |
| Department | Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Agribusiness Management (AB) |
| Chairperson(s) | Zulfiqar, Farhad; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Datta, Avishek;Tsusaka, Takuji W.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC), Thailand;AIT Scholarships; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2024 |