Having realized that living condition and income of the people residing on both banks of the Golok river are below the average standard of living of those in other regions, the Government of Thailand and Malaysia have made effort to improve the well-being and incomes of the people in the Golok river basin. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the Ministry of Agriculture of Malaysia (at present, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) have entered into an agreement of agricultural cooperation on 26th February 1979.