What crops should i grow in Khon Kaen Region for best return

[Vaughan Jeffares]

Hi 

We have a farm in Kakasin, about 50 min drive from Khon Kaen.

We are looking at what to do with the 20 Rai we have, farm cattle, fruit or trees etc but what the best return we can from it 

Have looked at Tamarinds and Mangoes along with cows but i still have no idea of what to do with it. Can anyone tell me what will give us a consistent return as we are happy to outlay the cost to get it right 

 

[Jai Dee]

Topic moved to the Farming Forum where you are more likely to receive expert responses.

[bkk6060]

Can you make it a large massage complex?

 

If not, maybe a quality Avocado or Durian farm.

[kingofthemountain]

3 hours ago, Vaughan Jeffares said:

Hi 

We have a farm in Kakasin, about 50 min drive from Khon Kaen.

We are looking at what to do with the 20 Rai we have, farm cattle, fruit or trees etc but what the best return we can from it 

Have looked at Tamarinds and Mangoes along with cows but i still have no idea of what to do with it. Can anyone tell me what will give us a consistent return as we are happy to outlay the cost to get it right 

Hi.   I presume is your Thai wife or girlfriend who has the farm and owns the land. Can i ask what type of culture they were doing until then on the land and why they have decided to stop it and change? 

 

I don't know since how many time you are in the area, but if you really want a ''good return'' on your ''investment'' it's not in the agricultural sector than you can do it, if you bother to read some of the topics here in the farming forum you should find confirmation on it and also some ideas about what to do or not to limit the risks.

 

But now you are already on the farm, so if i was you i will forget all the most difficult things  with a long term waiting before hoping years later few money back, like cattle, mangoes or durian.

 

In my opinion banana trees are the most easy if you have enough water (river side your land, pond or a well) you can plant different varieties of bananas and you have quickly something to sell with not a lot of efforts, and all year long.

 

Of course you need to find enough buyers, the best idea is to sell to the most

directly in your local area, and avoid the middleman (Who is usually the one doing really money on it)

 

Last thing if you are the one coming with the idea, the Thais are expecting that you finance the whole project, and if something turn wrong, you will be the one to be blamed.

But If ''your'' idea works and the money is coming, don't expect to have a personal ROI except if you live full time on the farm AND you can speak Thai fluently

 

good luck

 

[IsaanAussie]

Hi and welcome to the group. 

If I can offer a bit of advice, sit tight for a year or so and learn. What is the history of your wife's farm? What have they tried and what was the result? Same goes for your area. Who is doing what, farming and buying and selling? Markets and their size. Don't think for a moment that YOU will make a difference.

Commit to nothing until you understand the reality of the business case. 

 

[3NUMBAS]

superfoods... .avacado ,red tea ,koji berrys ,hashish , horse , cardamoms and so on theres lots of good earners if you can grow them

[kingofthemountain]

2 minutes ago, 3NUMBAS said:

superfoods... .avacado ,red tea ,koji berrys ,hashish , horse , cardamoms and so on theres lots of good earners if you can grow them

Avocados are very difficult 

you wait 4\6 years before the first harvest

they need a lot of water and a specific soil composition

and they can be attacked by parasites, i tried it in the north

the climate was ideal (Chiang rai area) 7 years later still no fruits and

half of them died of illness, a total failure

[IsaanAussie]

Just now, kingofthemountain said:

Avocados are very difficult

Great example of how little we westerners understand this market, no disrespect meant. Avocados are used here predominately as cosmetics not food. 

I spent years developing my pigs for a western market of quality pork and achieved sales in five star restaurants in Bangkok. But the real market was for cheap pigs to satisfy local funerals. One old person died and I could sell 6 120kg pigs. Different farming set of economics. 

My point to the OP is this, regardless of your farming background, you will not get it right here first time up.

[Surelynot]

Ganja?

[EVENKEEL]

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Can you make it a large massage complex?

 

If not, maybe a quality Avocado or Durian farm.

Do durian grow well in Kalasin

[IsaanAussie]

Just now, Surelynot said:

Ganja?

Again with the "opportunity of a lifetime". Sorry, 15 years ago weed meant standing in front of a machine gun here. Now every provincial hospital has a weed medicinal clinic, common as and no margin.

 

[mr mr]

2 minutes ago, IsaanAussie said:

9 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

Ganja?

Again with the "opportunity of a lifetime". Sorry, 15 years ago weed meant standing in front of a machine gun here. Now every provincial hospital has a weed medicinal clinic, common as and no margin.

pfffft. ya for the garbage they pass off here as medicine. 

[IsaanAussie]

Just now, EVENKEEL said:

Do durian grow well in Kalasin

Mangoes, rubber trees, cassava, more recently cattle, all instant wealth generators, all failed to deliver. 

[IsaanAussie]

Just now, mr mr said:

pfffft. ya for the garbage they pass off here as medicine. 

Not for or against, have no idea.

[kingofthemountain]

2 hours ago, IsaanAussie said:

Great example of how little we westerners understand this market, no disrespect meant. Avocados are used here predominately as cosmetics not food. 

I spent years developing my pigs for a western market of quality pork and achieved sales in five star restaurants in Bangkok. But the real market was for cheap pigs to satisfy local funerals. One old person died and I could sell 6 120kg pigs. Different farming set of economics. 

My point to the OP is this, regardless of your farming background, you will not get it right here first time up.

Yes you are perfectly right and i was well aware of the market

there is a market for food consumption with avocados also in Thailand

but it needs to be developped, Thai don't know how to eat them, and they

are not cheap on the markets, so my utopic project was first to deliver to

hotels and restaurants for a foreign clientele, and at the same time to popularize for the Thais

the product on the town markets with cheap prices and product tasting (Guacamole, salads...)

As i said it all inded in a total failure with not even only one avocado to harvest lol

[Time to grow]

Might I recommend you check out some of the many Youtube videos by Jon Jandai, a very wise Thai farmer / philosopher with sage advice. 

 

 

 

[khwaibah]

12 hours ago, mr mr said:

pfffft. ya for the garbage they pass off here as medicine. 

Used as seasoning on BBQ chicken in my area.???????? That is one stoned bird.????

[IvorBiggun2]

16 hours ago, Vaughan Jeffares said:

We are looking at what to do with the 20 Rai we have,

Sell them. Any farang considering farming is on a loser from the start. Just my opinion from observation.

[innosiem]

watch "the biggest little farm" 

monocrops may be the easiest but you benefit the least
better to first grow whatever you can that you would usually buy
gives diversity and will help soil
and why sell produce at wholesale prices
to then have to buy produce at retail prices

[ChipButty]

I have learnt over the years Thai's have loads of good ideas with other peoples money and when the <deleted> hits the fan not my ploblem if it's making money they all want to rob you,

[Rookiescot]

Pomegranates?

 

[khwaibah]

If your wife is interested then a farm can be of value other wise it will be a loss. My wife had a major idea sometime back and all her advice and help came from her friends, contacts and he Department of Livestock and the Department of Agriculture. She turned around your typical 20 rai isaan rice farm from a looser into a profit maker with no farang help. Going on 6 weeks she has been selling her products in TOPS market Surin. Check out this thread.  

 

[bbudd]

    From seed avocados take a minimum of 6-8 years to produce fruit and there always prone to disease. Total failure near Chiang Rai.

   Black (Chocolate) sapote will fruit in as little as 2 years and crop twice a year

You just have to get used to when to harvest-there too delicate to handle when fully ripe and won't ripen if picked green.

   Cocoa also will fruit in about 3 years and generally bears well-but again is labor intensive in the processing.

  Dragon fruit is a winner,when well established it will bear well and is easy to maintain.Added advantage is -its easy to sell locally.

   Durian I've planted seem remarkably slow in growth and VERY cold sensitive.

  Custard apples in there various variety's (atemoya-cherimoya-rollina etc.) fruit within 3 years and handle well to market and once people are familiar with the new tastes seem to be well appreciated.

 I have seed and cuttings for all the above if required-just send me a message.

[khwaibah]

Another click bait troll post.????

[Grusa]

This:-

[CGW]

Do you have water? many areas around where you are continue to experience the worst drought in living memory.

If you do have water? some type of market gardening may work, but the climate is brutal, there is a reason no produce is currently being grown on the land.

[Grumpy one]

Try your luck with tomatoes

Not the tasteless rubbish that gets sold here

Sweet vine tomatoes, not that hard to set up and quick growth

We have a friend up near Burri Ram who has started to grow them, the only problem is getting enough water for them

[scoupeo]

if you imagine a profit, you should not start... or just grow weed !

 

 

[EVENKEEL]

Funny how the farang go their whole lives not being a farmer but when they hitch up with an Isaan bird all of a sudden they're Oliver Wendell Douglas. Come on remember Green Acres, well that's likely the outcome.

[MJKT2014]

18 hours ago, Vaughan Jeffares said:

We have a farm in Kakasin, about 50 min drive from Khon Kaen. We are looking at what to do with the 20 Rai we have, .....but i still have no idea of what to do with it. Can anyone tell me ..

Two pages of answers already for a first time post to this?