Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on 23 January 2026 presided over the opening ceremony of the National Dairy Festival 2026 at the Dairy Farming Promotion Organization of Thailand (DPO) in Muak Lek District, Saraburi Province.

Her Royal Highness was welcomed by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Amin Mayusoh, Permanent Secretary for Agriculture and Cooperatives Vinaroj Supsongsuk, and DPO Director Watcharee Wannasri.

The festival is being held from 23 January to 1 February 2026, under the theme “The New Era: Dairy Thailand From Crisis to Opportunity."  Her Royal Highness viewed various exhibitions and activities at the exhibition site.

Major activities at the festival include contests of dairy cattle for the royal trophies granted by His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Dairy farmers from all parts of the country will show their abilities in improving dairy cattle breeds and increasing raw milk production, reflecting their efforts to add value to the productivity of Thai dairy cattle. 

Apart from shopping for dairy products, visitors will learn best practices in dairy farming and innovations to improve production efficiency in the dairy industry. The festival also includes academic seminars, organized by the public and private sectors, with an emphasis on advancing Thailand’s dairy industry toward sustainable international standards.

The National Dairy Festival is held each year to honor His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great, recognized as the “Father of Thai Dairy Farming,” to showcase dairy farming and production technology, and to introduce modern farming technology to farmers, as well as promoting milk drinking in Thailand.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej made pioneering changes to Thailand's dairy industry in the 1960s to improve rural livelihoods and child nutrition. Following his state visit to Denmark in 1960, during which he visited Danish government experimental farms, the King started an initiative to develop a dairy farm in Thailand to generate employment and income for Thai farmers. This gave rise to the technical cooperation to transfer Danish knowledge and expertise in dairy farming and production to Thailand. 

On 16 January 1962, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, together with King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark presided over the inauguration ceremony of the Thai-Danish Dairy Farm in Saraburi, as part of their state visit to Thailand.