STRATEGY FOR PROMOTING THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGY OF AGRICULTURAL SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISE (SMEs) IN PATHUM THANI PROVINCE

Abstract

This research article is a part of the thesis on strategy development. The researcher would like to focus only the second objective, i.e. the need of public assistance on research and technology development for agricultural Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Pathum Thani province. The research methodology used mixed methods which consisted of both qualitative and quantitative. The key informants used were 30 related agricultural SMEs. The research instrument was an in-depth interview integrated by content analysis.
The study found that the need of public assistance on Research and Technology Development (RTD) for agricultural SMEs in Pathum Thani province could be classified into 8 categories, i.e. 1) monetary support on Research and Technology Development (RTD) 2) human resource training in RTD 3) Consultancy service in RTD 4) RTD networking in research support 5) laboratory service including equipment, instruments, etc, in RTD 6) Marketing communication in management and RTD 7) marketing activity and promotion for SMEs in both local and international markets and 8) public policy on product and service procurement for SMEs