Gulf Energy Development Public Company Limited or GULF ran a volunteer activity booth at the “Building Lives Together in the New Normal Under the Auspices of His Majesty the King” under the theme “Gulf: Sparking Power for Communities, Starting Lives in the New Normal Together” on the occasion of His Majesty the King’s birthday on 28 July 2020. The 4-day event, organized by the Prime Minister's Office, was held between 28-31 July 2020 with the purpose of promoting life under the new normal and supporting innovative skills training for local communities for a fresh start after the Covid-19 crisis. Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, who presided over the event, visited the GULF booth along with members of his Cabinet. GULF joined forces with a farmer from the Nong Saeng New Agricultural Learning Center and Demonstration Farm, located at one of the company’s power projects in Saraburi province, to host a lime tree grafting workshop and give out scions and leaflets to participants. The company also collaborated with Ban Tha Tum Women’s Entrepreneurship Group from Kaeng Khoi district, Saraburi province, to demonstrate how to make Ka Nhom Tian (stuffed dough pyramids) and distribute the recipe to all the participants to use as a starting point for their own businesses. This activity aligns with the company's mission to focus on improving people’s quality of life for a better and more sustainable society.

Mr. Pongpichet Chaivej, a farmer from the Nong Saeng New Agricultural Learning Center and Demonstration Farm, said, “I am delighted to be involved in this skills training event. For this occasion, I chose to teach about grafting Paen Pichit lime trees. This species of lime has a thin rind and a lot of juice with year-round supply, even during the dry season. It could be grown in pots, concrete rings or in the soil. If you have successfully propagated these lime trees, it will help reduce expenses when limes are expensive and out of season, or if there is a lot of space, you could expand the planting area and make a living out of that.”

“Ban Tha Tum Women’s Entrepreneurship Group emphasizes earning income based on local know-how, such as crafting decorative sunflowers and making Ka Nhom Tian (stuffed dough pyramids). Our recipe uses mung bean flour, which is different from most other recipes that use glutinous rice flour, so it makes the texture clear, soft and gooey. Natural food coloring from butterfly pea or pandan leaves could also be added. With enough practice, anyone could earn a living from this recipe. I would like to thank Gulf Group for the consistent support we have received from them over the past 10 years or more. Now, our group has the strength to stand on our own, earning income from the sale of products in various events at the district and provincial levels. On this occasion, we are pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate this Thai dessert recipe to people in the community and would like to encourage those who have suffered from Covid-19 to rise up and start over again,” Ms. Sap Chantavong from Ban Tha Tum Women’s Entrepreneurship Group stated.