Thailand’s new rice strategy aims to halve production costs, boost yields

By The Nation

 

 

Thailand aims to halve the cost of rice production and boost yield by almost a quarter under an ambitious five-year national rice strategy unveiled today.

 

The strategy aims to secure Thailand’s status as a global leader in rice production, marketing and innovation, said Commerce Minister and Deputy PM Jurin Laksanawisit after his meeting today with the Thai Rice Strategy Subcommittee.

 

The strategy covers four areas: the domestic market, international market, production, and process innovation.

 

The core of the strategy is to reduce production costs for farmers from the current Bt6,000 per rai to less than Bt3,000 per rai within five years. Meanwhile, it aims to boost yield per rai from 460 kilograms to 600kg.

 

Marketing will focus on giving consumers information on which kind of rice each product is made from.

 

Moreover, a strategy to balance domestic needs with international demand will concentrate on developing soft rice varieties to raise Thailand’s competitiveness as a rice exporter.

 

The guidelines from today’s meeting will be presented to the Rice Policy and Management Committee before being sent to the Cabinet for consideration.

 

“We believe the plans will enable Thailand to compete in both the domestic and international market and will strengthen long-term rice cultivation,” said Jurin.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30393623

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-08-28

 

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The strategy aims to secure Thailand’s status as a global leader in rice production, marketing and innovation, said Commerce Minister and Deputy PM Jurin Laksanawisit after his meeting today with the Thai Rice Strategy Subcommittee.

 

The country can't function without a sub or a committee it's the new subnormal ????

Should be interesting, the composition of the 6000 a rai 'costs' as for a one crop set up, appears on the high side, also where and how the savings are to be made?

Good the government is looking to assist farmers in more efficient rice production

If a Thai farmer needs a bunch of office clerks to tell them how to improve their yield and reduce costs then they are in the wrong business

4 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

The strategy aims to secure Thailand’s status as a global leader in rice production, marketing and innovation, said Commerce Minister and Deputy PM Jurin Laksanawisit after his meeting today with the Thai Rice Strategy Subcommittee.

 

The country can't function without a sub or a committee it's the new subnormal ????

Yes minister

This plan should be interesting, half the cost of fertilizer? half the cost of diesel fuel for tractors? guaranteed rainfall? ban pests by law? get burmese workers to work for nothing in the fields? This is obviously an announcement that Sir Humphry would have warned against in 'Yes Minister'

This strategy has about as much chance of success as Thailands ebola vaccine.

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

If a Thai farmer needs a bunch of office clerks to tell them how to improve their yield and reduce costs then they are in the wrong business

Maybe they should make rice paddies circular, to cut more corners?

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The strategy aims to secure Thailand’s status as a global leader in rice production

i'm afraid that kratong has already sailed...

This can only mean putting even more small rice farmers out of business. A local Chinese businessman has for years been lending money, taking land as the debts defaulted and now has a few very large fields, levelled by laser as well as a couple of rice harvesters, own storage and rice mill. We already know who is likely to be the next to lose their land, despite sending their children to Bangkok to try to work off the debts + interest over 10 - 20 years.

Subsistence farming still exists, start taking fotos now.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The core of the strategy is to reduce production costs for farmers from the current Bt6,000 per rai to less than Bt3,000 per rai

How? 

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

boost yield per rai from 460 kilograms to 600kg

How?

 

Both are noble objectives, but I'm more interested in knowing how they're going to achieve this. 

Edited August 28, 20205 yr by djayz

That production cost is if you get other people to do the leg work.  It's still high.  From our experience 4200 Is closer.  But we still had to supervise! 

12 minutes ago, djayz said:

How? 

 

How?

 

Both are noble objectives, but I'm more interested in knowing how they're going to achieve this. 

you are seriously doubting their ability to half costs and boost production by 20 % ? 

 

i guess you missed the article the other day where thai people think they are better than everyone else. ????

 

No doubt the rich guy in a suit is talking about mechanizing farm production and putting Thai farm laborers out of work. 

52 minutes ago, mr mr said:

you are seriously doubting their ability to half costs and boost production by 20 % ? 

 

i guess you missed the article the other day where thai people think they are better than everyone else. ????

 

I don't doubt that it can be done (am a strong believer in "where there's a will, there's a way"), but some more info about how they plan on achieving this would have been interesting. 

23 minutes ago, connda said:

No doubt the rich guy in a suit is talking about mechanizing farm production and putting Thai farm laborers out of work. 

If the import costs / taxes weren't so prohibitively high, more farmers would be using machines to do the bulk of the work. 

Yes, many will lose their jobs in the process but, farmers can earn a better living and produce more food. The labourers will have to do like what millions of people in other countries before them had to do: adapt and learn new skills. 

 

1 hour ago, djayz said:

How? 

 

How?

 

Both are noble objectives, but I'm more interested in knowing how they're going to achieve this. 

How?

Try and improve the fertility of the land, most rice fields in Issan are on dead land ,very low fertility ,  which equals low yields.

it can be done ,where I am a few rice framers grow legume crops either before or after the rice crop ,a legume crop ie, peanuts, mung beans , sun hemp ,that crop still put some fertility back in to the land ,and the farmers will have another crop to sell.

It has been proved and done ,but farmers will be reluctant to try any new ,afraid of losing money putting themselves in even more debt ,almost Catch 22.

As has been said before changes happen slowly in Thailand ,if at all. 

  

<deleted>; I read all those numbers and such. Looks like 22 parsecs is near impossible in a Galaxy far far away or even close by. In a near, non-expanding Galaxy (Andromeda Shinawatra?) it could be possible maybe probably. That much rice in that small an area is not gonna happen except in press releases or in your stars.

Is 480 kg per rai average.   I thought it was 700-1000kg.   What was last years rice price?    I'm trying to find out why gf mom needs money for fertilizer  if she has 10 rai in rice 80 km East of Ubon Ratchathani. Should be plenty of profit to support mom and a few others.   I am reading about the cover crop like mung beans or     CROTALARIA JUNCEA .  Don't you plow back in and not sell as a crop? 

I'm thinking mom is to generous  as is my GF.  Houston we have a problem.  Yes my gf different but same same