The Treasury will increase funds for welfare cards on April 13th, providing assistance with fuel costs for taxis and transportation services for 42 days.

The Ministry of Finance has unveiled a package to alleviate the impact of the energy crisis on the public. This includes increasing welfare card payments to 400 baht, starting April 13, 69; providing fuel subsidies for public transport users for 42 days, starting April 20, 69; and a co-payment-interest loan program for farmers.

11 April 2569 Dr. Ekniti Nitithanpraphat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance It was revealed that on April 11, 2569, the Cabinet approved measures to provide assistance to those affected by the conflict in the Middle East. This was done to mitigate the impact and prevent economic risks from the situation, which could lead to economic slowdown coupled with soaring inflation (stagflation), affecting all sectors. Therefore, the government issued...

(1) Measures to alleviate the burden of living costs for vulnerable groups of people, the transport sector and farmers amidst a situation of high uncertainty, including:

(2) Measures to support people and entrepreneurs to adapt (Transform) and turn to using more clean energy to replace oil, and measures to help entrepreneurs and the agricultural sector that are at the upstream of the country's supply chain to receive assistance thoroughly and have sufficient liquidity to conduct business and agricultural activities. The government expects that these assistance measures will alleviate the burden and reduce costs for entrepreneurs and farmers, which will help reduce the transmission of costs to consumers.

The Cabinet has approved measures to provide assistance to those affected by the fighting in the Middle East, as follows:

1. Measures to mitigate the impact on the public.

1.1 Vulnerable groups: The government has implemented measures to alleviate the burden of living costs through the state welfare card for 13.22 million people by increasing the amount of money available for purchasing consumer goods from 300 baht to 400 baht for a period of one month, from April 13, 2026 to May 12, 2026.

1.2 General public group: Prepare the general public for adapting and transitioning to clean energy to mitigate the impact of energy volatility as follows:

• • 1.2.1 The Government Savings Bank implements a low-interest loan program (Soft Loan). GSB's Energy Sustainability Adaptation for the Public Program (Sustainability Adaptation Loan Project) has a budget of 5 billion baht to provide loans to citizens for energy adaptation, such as installing solar power systems (solar cells), purchasing electric vehicles (EVs), etc. The loan amount per individual is capped at 2 million baht for a period of 5,000 years, with a special interest rate. Applications can be submitted until March 31, 2570.
  • 1.2.2 The Government Housing Bank also supports special interest rate loans for energy saving. It consists of (1) Home Loan for those who want to buy, build, extend, repair, improve and purchase equipment related to renewable energy systems, with an interest rate starting at 2.20 percent per year, a maximum loan term of 40 years, accepting loan applications until 30 April 2569; (2) Home Loan No. 5 for those who want to buy, build and refinance residential properties that have been certified as Home No. 5 by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, with a fixed interest rate of 2.69 percent per year for the first 2 years, a maximum loan term of 40 years, accepting loan applications until 30 December 2569; and (3) Solar Roof Loan for welfare customers whose agencies have an agreement with the housing loan welfare project, who want to borrow more to buy Solar Roof, with a maximum loan amount not exceeding 300,000 baht.

2. Measures to mitigate the impact on the agricultural sector.

The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) is implementing a 30,000 billion baht loan program with a co-payment scheme to reduce production costs. This program provides farmers with low-interest funding for purchasing production inputs, along with relevant training and skills development, and analysis of fertilizer use to suit soil, crop, and land conditions. The aim is to enhance farmers' earning capacity and improve their quality of life. The interest rate is 6 percent per year.

Under this program, if farmer borrowers meet the criteria and conditions, the government will pay the interest on their behalf at a rate of 3 percent per year. The maximum loan amount per individual is 100,000 baht, with a repayment period of no more than 12 months. The project duration is 3 years.

3. Measures to mitigate the impact on businesses.

3.1 Government Contracts: To mitigate the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on government contractors, which may affect their businesses and employees, the Comptroller General's Department has relaxed procurement criteria. For example, if a winning bidder is unable to sign a contract, it will be considered a valid reason and they will not be deemed to have abandoned the project, with the return of the security deposit. For signed contracts, temporary work stoppages may be negotiated if affected. In cases where a contract has been signed but work has not commenced, government agencies may, at their discretion, terminate the contract and return the security deposit. Furthermore, the median price for construction projects has been extended to a diesel fuel price of 51.00 – 69.99 baht per liter to align with current market conditions. The Budget Bureau has also instructed government agencies, state enterprises, and other government entities to expedite the transfer/amendment of allocated funds to compensate for construction costs under adjustable-price (K-factor) contracts that have already been approved. Additionally, the conditions, criteria, and methods for calculating adjustable-price contracts have been revised and reviewed to reflect current economic conditions and accommodate fluctuations in oil and material prices.

3.2 Measures for SMEs: The Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the Government Savings Bank (GSB), is implementing the GSB Business Revitalization Soft Loan program with a budget of 100,000 billion baht. Entrepreneurs seeking to invest in transformation, whether in areas such as environmental friendliness, digitalization, or technology, can apply for assistance under this measure.

Furthermore, there is the SME Green Productivity loan program from the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand (SME Bank) to provide investment and/or working capital to SMEs to upgrade and transition to green industries. This program covers entrepreneurs with production processes or technologies that reduce energy consumption, renewable energy systems, and are linked to the electric vehicle (EV) industry and modern low-emission vehicles. The interest rate is 3% per year for the first 3 years, with a loan limit of up to 30 million baht per borrower. The Export-Import Bank of Thailand (EXIM Bank) has also implemented the EXIM Support Plus measure to provide working capital to Thai exporters directly or indirectly affected by the situation, which has led to increased transportation costs. The interest rate for small businesses is 4.00% per year. There is also an export insurance program with special premium rates to cover the increased risks arising from the Middle East crisis.

4. Measures to mitigate the impact on the transportation sector.

The Cabinet has approved a budget to subsidize fuel costs for the transportation sector for a total of 42 days (from April 20 to May 31, 2569) in the amount of 2,061 million baht.

1) Non-regular route truck group (large trucks with 10 wheels or more, and smaller trucks with less than 10 wheels): 1,354 million baht.

2) Public motorcycle taxi group: 97 million baht.

3) Public transport vehicles in categories 2 and 3 (passenger vans and minibuses), totaling 81 million baht.

4) Public transport vehicle group, Category 4, amounting to 9 million baht.

5) Taxi group using fuel: 8 million baht.

6) Non-scheduled bus group, amounting to 311 million baht and...

7) Provide financial support to the Transport Company Limited to reduce the financial burden on the public traveling during the Songkran festival, from April 6-19, 2569, in the amount of 200 million baht.

Dr. Ekniti also revealed that the Cabinet has instructed the Budget Bureau to consider reducing government agency budgets, including canceling study trips or training abroad and adjusting the format to conduct study trips or activities within the country instead. This also includes reducing energy consumption in government agencies by allowing employees to work from home for tasks that do not affect public services, in order to reduce energy consumption and increase the efficiency of government resource management.

The government, through the Ministry of Finance and related agencies, is committed to implementing the aforementioned measures to quickly mitigate the impact on small-scale farmers, citizens, and businesses, enabling them to resume normal business operations and lives as soon as possible. This aims to prevent economic risks by creating a business ecosystem conducive to entrepreneurial growth and laying the foundation for sustainable and comprehensive business recovery and growth across all dimensions.

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