Meat And Veg Prices All Down

[Khonwan]

The price of pork, beef, chicken, fish and veg (don't know about fruit) in the local markets are all WAY down. Why? Such low prices are usually a simple consequence of supply exceeding demand. How can it be, however, that supply has exceeded demand in nearly all these basic food products at the same time? Farmers are working for nothing at best, and at a loss in many cases. I'm keen to hear the views of farmers on this forum.

[chownah]

I think that the vegetable prices are down because this is the time of the year when vegetables are the easiest to produce. The rains stop in about November so planting is really easy starting then and it accelerates until right after rice harvest you get a peak of vegetable planting because people are freed up from the rice harvest to do vegetables in earnest. There is still water around since the dry season hasn't started yet and it works out that right now is the time when alot of vegetables are really abundant...hence the price drop. Prices for vegetables should start to go up soon I would think since its harder to grow many vegetables in hotter weather and also there is less water so many people stop growing altogether. Anyway this is my explanation....I could be wrong though...I've never done a market survey or poll on farming practices.

Chownah

[billd766]

I don't know where you live Chownah but I am on the other side of Mae Wong to KhonWan and the dry season has been here for about 6 weeks. In that time we have had one heavy storm and last week about 30 minutes rain. We have had no government water since the middle of January and the water tankers are on the road every day.

The stream across the road which was OK all last year is now only about 2 cm deep and if my neighbour pumps water we cannot and vice versa and nothing seem to go further downstream.

Some farmers have planted next years crop of man but there is not much else growing here.

[chownah]

Consider that your vegetables have to come from somewhere....and wherever they come from they have water still...and if you have water still then now is the time of abundance for most vegetables....but soon many of those places that still have water will not....and so prices will go up....I think. To answer your question I live in the north.

Chownah

[Somtham]

The price of pork, beef, chicken, fish and veg (don't know about fruit) in the local markets are all WAY down. Why? Such low prices are usually a simple consequence of supply exceeding demand. How can it be, however, that supply has exceeded demand in nearly all these basic food products at the same time? Farmers are working for nothing at best, and at a loss in many cases. I'm keen to hear the views of farmers on this forum.

Our fish prices are holding but to me that is like they're down. With all the flooding last fall in Nakorn Sawan, Pitchit, Pitsanalok, and Sukothai where most farmers lost their fish I was expecting prices to be relatively sky high by now. But nope, getting the same B31 as in December.

Chiles are also still holding at B150/kg.

rgds