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timber
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Posts posted by timber
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Sounds high to me. Over a year 30 days a month is not realistic, Have to let the trees replenish themselves. Now down south only harvest for 3 days then let the tree rest for a day. Some say they would look at a ratio of 5 to 1. The encyclopedia said 1:1. You will have to gauge yourself if you harvest 30 days you will downgrade the ability of the tree to produce rubber. You have a leaf fall in Febuary which will shut down harvesting for a period of time. If you don't have rainguards may have to shut down for rain and things just happen to shut you down. I think you should base your budgets on about 20 days per month. I think 70 baht per rai per day is a better figure per rai at present. My the price in the paper is listed at 67, but my in-laws are getting 55, depends on quality.
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Dan you said a 5 and 1 ratio of harvest to rest and I said 3 to 1. I am talking about an area on the coast south of chumphon where bouts is your plantation.
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My in-laws have rubber plantations in the south that they are working. It is hard to get information out of them so I have to guess-timate a bit. They harvest rubber 3 days then leave a day. Not too sure how that compares with the harvest every other day. They don't harvest during a hard rain and there is a fair amount of that you won't get in Issan. I understand that they use rain guards in Brazil. I am not sure how much time is lost due to leaf fall. I think that they harvest rubber about 220 days a year.
My sister-in-law makes about 1000 baht per harvest day for about 7 rai. One person can handle the 7 rai. That is tapping and processing. My brother in-law-has about 20 rai and it is a good day for him and his wife to tap and process.
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Sorry should have included source it is a nice read.
http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761556347/Rubber.html
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A nice little summary on rubber from Encarta Encyclopedia
To gather the latex from plantation trees, a diagonal cut angled downward is made through the bark; this cut extends one-third to one-half of the circumference of the trunk. The latex exudes from the cut and is collected in a small cup. The amount of latex obtained on each tapping is about 30 ml (about 1 fl oz). Thereafter, a thin strip of bark is shaved from the bottom of the original cut to retap the tree, usually every other day. When the cuttings reach the ground, the bark is permitted to renew itself before a new tapping panel is started. About 250 trees are planted per hectare (100 per acre), and the annual yield for ordinary trees is about 450 kg per hectare (400 lb per acre) of dry crude rubber. In specially selected high-yield trees, the annual yield may range as high as 2225 kg per hectare (2000 lb per acre), and experimental trees that yield 3335 kg per hectare (3000 lb per acre) have been developed. The gathered latex is strained, diluted with water, and treated with acid to cause the suspended rubber particles within the latex to clump together. After being pressed between rollers to consolidate the rubber into 0.6-cm (0.25-in) slabs or thin crepe sheets, the rubber is air- or smoke-dried for shipment.
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". the land was growing rice, obviously no money in this, maybe i have taken a gamble but i personally never had any intention of making money myself,"................................
This is a nice little summary on rubber from Encarta Encyclopedia
To gather the latex from plantation trees, a diagonal cut angled downward is made through the bark; this cut extends one-third to one-half of the circumference of the trunk. The latex exudes from the cut and is collected in a small cup. The amount of latex obtained on each tapping is about 30 ml (about 1 fl oz). Thereafter, a thin strip of bark is shaved from the bottom of the original cut to retap the tree, usually every other day. When the cuttings reach the ground, the bark is permitted to renew itself before a new tapping panel is started. About 250 trees are planted per hectare (100 per acre), and the annual yield for ordinary trees is about 450 kg per hectare (400 lb per acre) of dry crude rubber. In specially selected high-yield trees, the annual yield may range as high as 2225 kg per hectare (2000 lb per acre), and experimental trees that yield 3335 kg per hectare (3000 lb per acre) have been developed. The gathered latex is strained, diluted with water, and treated with acid to cause the suspended rubber particles within the latex to clump together. After being pressed between rollers to consolidate the rubber into 0.6-cm (0.25-in) slabs or thin crepe sheets, the rubber is air- or smoke-dried for shipment.
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I think the fruit starts coming about 3.5 to 4.5 years and increases as time goes by. I have read a lot of stuff about what you should do when the both the male and female fruit starts coming, but would like to have someone with some experience take a look at the plantation and give me some advice on what they think. Big thing as you say they look good.
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Hi good to here from you.
Hmmm... Several problems.
1. Not enought fertilizer. They don't seem to realize how hungry oil palm is. The rice has depleted the soil and need to add something. Oil palm is a hungry devil at the best of times. See lots of oil palm in big fields with off green colors.
2. I think you need to establish drainage that you have some control over. Oil palm can stand some flooding but not an awful lot. In some cases there has been no drainage established and the high water table which is to be expected is holding the oil palm back.
3. Where drainage ditches have been established, let's say six feet deep or so, when they hit the dry part of the year there is no watering down. They can see lots of water. but it isn't really available to the plants. I think an excellent opportunity for a drip system. Can water and fertilize all the time. I think it is like learning English, better to have a little bit often and a whole bunch once in a while.
4. My wife isn't really into these things so having some problems with communication, but I think if you are going to put an investment into the land part of that investment should be to find out what you have got. Soil tests to find out what you should be adding to suppliment what is already there.
5. There should be lots of oil palm specialists down south, between Surat Thani and Krabi. In North America you have extensionists that work the field helping farmers and ranchers with their problem and providing up to date information. They people there might enjoy the odd trip into the field to see what you have and what you intend to do with it.
Just some opinions. Not right all the time, right some of the time.
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Udon Was there a problem with "Poorfarmer" I was thinking about going over there and seeing the operation on jatropha bio-diesel. Thanks....
ummm.... "Poorfarmer" won't be back under that name..... well spotted by Bambi, she has been banned for the 4th time.
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Khun Jean
My wife's family have quote a few coconuts around the Chumphon area. Generally the monkey comes by once a month or so and they sell the good coconuts , now, for about 5 baht per coconut. It varies a bit depending on the market. It can go to 10 baht per coconut. So the cost of the cocnut is about the same as a litre of diesel. Other than some dried coconut meat and self use, no one seems to do much with the coconut. Except sell them. I will have to ask more questions when I go down there next week.
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On some of the other sites their is a build up in the interest on using coconut oil for bio-diesel. I understand that you can buy coconut oil in Chumphon. I was wondering what the price might be.
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It is unfortunate that a lot of people doing the conversion don't really know the difference. There is a lot of oil palm put into rice fields that are growing at about 50% of what it should. The government doesn't seem to be helping a lot with the transition.
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Another good web-site for tracking the storm is:
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bina could you post some pictures of the drip irrigation there and equipment. Would appreciate. Thanks
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When I looked at this Wednesday it looked like it was going to landfall around Chumphon, but now seems to be headed north. Sunday and Monday should take care in case of spin out winds and make sure the boats are ok. Following is a tracking link.
BANGKOK: -- The Royal Irrigation Department chief has ordered officials to keep draining water from submerged parts of eastern Bangkok into the Bang Pakong River and the Gulf of Thailand.
The capital will also have to brace itself for Typhoon Xangsane - now battering the Philippines and moving towards the South China Sea - which will affect Thailand's weather on Sunday.
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Wow! That's a start. I wonder how much oil palm in Krabi as compared to Surat Thani.
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ThaiPauly
This thing of Oil Palm or rubber has been going on for many years. I think in the future you will do well with either. Rubber prices are down a bit now and I am sure they will go up. The demand in India and China is just too great. Oil palm is bound to go up as Thailand hasn't really got its act together with biodiesel and that has to come pretty quick, and as well oil palm has a million prime uses. I would suggest that you let the site dictate what you grow. Very steep areas make harvesting oil palm difficult. Oil palm needs better soil and water supply than rubber. The first few years oil palm needs a good dose of fertilizer. I sure there are many reasons for chosing. Oil palm gives a quicker return on investment. Four years versus seven.
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[Always lots of land for sale. What kind of price will you pay and what preferences do you have?
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Mobaan - Would be appreciated if you keep us dated on this. It sounds wonderful, but the problem with vo is the glyerine. How does it get rid of the glyerine? I guess the solution must do something to it. Otherwise problems with the engine.
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Well 1,400/m sounds pretty good for the satellite. I was paying that for a poor internet connection when I first came to Bangkok. Sounds like visa trips are on the way out. I think we went through La Un on one of our trips. It is very pretty, but had a problem. Missed a turn in the town and took us a couple of minutes to get turned around. On one of the steep hills we passed a rice truck that had just gone in the ditch and his wife was thrown out. We took her to a clinic on the way home. He had missed a gear on the top of the hill and couldn't get it back in so ditched her. It was only a couple of minutes before we got there. I think if we hadn't missed that turn we would have met him on the hill and he went in the ditch on the wrong side and it was a steep drop off on the other. The roads are dangerous. Narrow, no grade breaks. So burnt a little incense over that one. I come from a forestry background on the west coast of British Columbia so know about rain. What are you doing there?
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Mosha
You might find out what the problem is with the water quality. Get it tested. Maybe too much salt. Check out the drainage. Palm can stand some flooding, but not a lot. Get the soil tested for salt. Maybe there is some ocean flooding from time to time. Would suggest seeing what you have before making decisons. How intensive do you want to get. 4 rai isn't much and lends itself to something intensive.
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Mosha Good to know someone is in Ranong. I will be going to live south of Chomphon in a year or so. How much are you paying for the satellite broadband? They don't even have line phones where I am going. I find it exciting looking at the map of the islands on the west coast of Myanmar. I come from British Columbia so that the sea and islands are quite appealing. My wife has some friends in Ranong so will be sure to be going there.
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Khun Jean,
Do you have any sites that talk about using coconut oil directly in the tank. I guess it must just be a lack of glycerine content in the virgin oil.
Interesting comments but as you indicate can get more money using it in other ways.
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There was a notice in the bangkok post about a month ago about getting a licence from the Energy Business Development Provincial Offices and they would allow you to produce for sale as farm fuel. Its not that hard to make. They want you to mark the fuel as in North America, but I think it will be a while before they check for marked fuel. A good site to look at for comments on the production is http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html
I haven't seen anything on making it for your own use. Kinda hard to stop.
Coconut Oil
in Southern Thailand
Posted
The reason for the original request has disappeared, but I am still interested in a small way. my in-laws have lots of coconuts and I will probably be moving to the chumphon area in a year or so. I had some thyroid removed and have a problem keeping my weight down. Coconot oil is supposed to be good for the metabolism. I was just wondering if there was a supply locally or would have to make it myself. Would just need a press. With the price of oil commercially there might be a small market that can be created locally. I ofter worry about the future of the young people. Lots of western material temptations and no money. Thanks for the interest.