Thailand's Sugar-production Industry----

[Martin]

I live up in Esarn, halfway between Khon Kaen and Udon Thani.

And I love the area.

One very good thing is that the soil, and the rolling nature of the plain, and the amount of rainfall, allow sugar to be grown among the rice paddies. This seems to have the benefit of getting more cash into circulation than is the case in other areas of Esarn that can only grow rice.

My wife says things were much harder 50 to 20 years ago, before sugar-growing started.

However, 'taint all pure, unalloyed joy. The trucks going to the sugar factories near Nam Phong, at Kum Pha Wa Pi, and on Highway 2 just north of Non Sa-at, hammer seven bells out of the country roads. (See the topic 'Drivers in Thailand' today.)

Also, I think I have read that a high proportion of world sugar production goes into soft drinks, and a fair bit must go into rums and drinks like Thai 'Whisky'.

So there are social costs.

I haven't travelled much in other parts of Thailand, and have never noticed other sugar-growing areas. But RDN says that he suffers from sugar-cane trucks damaging the roads near Chaiyaphum.

If anyone has any observations on the value/disbenefits of the sugar industry, I would like to be enlightened.

Also if anyone can head me towards a map, or tell me, of where the sugar factories, and growing areas, are located, I would be grateful.

[Pink Mist]

Went past one refinery on the road from Sakhon Nakhon to Udon Thani.

There must have been 500 trucks at least, all loaded precariously to the hilt with cane, waiting to unload.

The refinery was belching plumes of unfiltered black smoke, visible for miles, pollution on a grand scale.

Makes for a good sunset though

[KevinN]

I have no idea about what goes on in the sugar industry, But I do know that all trucks in the country run overloaded, do not know if there is even a weight limit here in Thailand, As I have never seen a scale/weight station along any hiway I have been on.

They do not use sugar in all Thai whiskey production as they only use some corn and mostly sticky rice at the distillery next to my house.

But I have noticed that all Thai eat a diet heavy in sugar and salt,always when you buy prepared pineapple,green mango or about anything,there is always a little plastic envelope of sugar/salt/spice included in the sack, And in the food shop that I eat at always puts a big spoon of sugar in phat thai and the Thai always put a spoon or two of sugar in their noodles or phat thai before they eat it.

[RamdomChances]

Hi I'll and throw a bit of light on this for you,

Don't know that much about other areas, but Nakhorn Sawan, is a really big sugar cain pruducing area, We used to grow it ourselfs and I have truck to transport it, I dont know if it's more profitable than say rice (here they get 3 crops a year), but some land is'nt sutable for rice production, and if you can only get one crop in then I would of thought sugar would be a lot better.

Once planted it requires very little work, and will regrow for 4-6 year's without replanting, downside is its more expensive to plant, most Thais, will borrow the money from a sugar cain agent, or refinary (obviously you then have to sell to them)

All the trucks run overloaded, and wreck the smaller roads, which they try to keep to, to avoid police and kong song (which I think are ministry of transport police). Smaller police stations on route are usually given 30_50 bht a month, and you wont get any trouble.

There are weight station if you know what you are looking for, theres a few on the Asia highway, but obviously every one knows where these are and avoids going passed. The Kong Song (see above) do set up mobile weight station's and dont accept bribes!!, they can also impound your truck on the spot. The usuall way of dealing with this is to park your lorry a few hundred meters in before the stop, lock it up go and find somewhere to eat/sleep until they go home (If you see lot of trucks parked on the side of the road this is usually why).

"Thai Whiskey" is'nt whiskey, Sang Som, Mungon Tong(Lao Deang) are rums and are made from sugar cain. Loa Chow, is usually localy produced from rice, and Mehkong is also made from rice, not sure on the last one.

Hope that helps

[KevinN]

"Thai Whiskey" is'nt whiskey, Sang Som, Mungon Tong(Lao Deang) are rums and are made from sugar cain. Loa Chow, is usually localy produced from rice, and Mehkong is also made from rice, not sure on the last one.""

Whiskey is distilled "beer" made from grain,with a yeast and enzime added to cooked mash,and set to work off,then ran thru a still. it is sold raw here instead of allowed to age and mellow in charred oak or other hardwood barrels.even if aged ,it will not get the amber color if the barrels are not charred.

If that isn't whiskey,then what is? I admit I wouldn't want to drink it,but is the same as "white lightenin" or "shine" made in the USA.

I know rum is made from cane,but it is distilled same as whiskey.

[RamdomChances]

They do not use sugar in all Thai whiskey production as they only use some corn and mostly sticky rice at the distillery next to my house.

Whiskey is distilled "beer" made from grain,with a yeast and enzime added to cooked mash,and set to work off,then ran thru a still. QUOTE]

Yes, so If its made from rice or sugar cain it can't be whiskey.

I was talking about the generalisation that every one says "thai whisky"

It is'nt "whiskey" which is made from i think malted oats and barely, are you refering to "burbon"?

The white stuff in the bottles is Lao Chow Lao=spirit, chow=white so the closest you would get in english would be "white spirit", but as its made from rice it can't be "whiskey" even though its distilled the same, and Sang Som is rum even says so on the bottle!!

[Martin]

Bronco, you are right about the sunsets being dramatic during the season (mid-Nov to late-March, I think) when the sugar factories are operating. Around us we have 3 factories within 30 km of each other, all doing their belching. But on any given day, the pollution contribution from the fields where the dead weeds amongst the cane are being burnt off, ready for harvesting later in the week, seems to exceed even that of the factories.

It is the fine particles that go up and make the orange sunset. The larger particles soon drift down, and we curse that all our roofs and outside concrete has little drifts of "black snow".

For the past two years, we have had a battle with the 'sugar-burners' of the five rai right behind our house. The man who has rented the land, and planted it to sugar, is the husband of a hairdresser in our Amphoe. Three times, when I went in for a haircut, Thong told her to tell her husband that he mustn't burn sugar so close to our house. It can be cut unburnt, and they get a better price from the factory, but it makes for slower harvesting.

But I think he sub-contracted the cutting and loading and transporting to the factory, or he sold it as a 'standing crop'. Anyway, he wasn't around when suddenly it was set alight from the end away from our house. Thong was distraught, as she foresaw all our outside white paintwork getting discoloured. I reckoned we would be OK, provided the breeze didn't change direction, and there was no likelihood of that. But to calm her down, I told her to call out the fire brigade. Also I thought that if we made a fuss, the sugar-planter might behave better next year.

Thong dialled 911, and the policeman who answered thought "Hey up. If P'THong is worried about the sugar behind her house burning, I am worried,too, because my own house is alongside that field" . So he not only called out our Amphoe's two tankers, he called out the two from the next village up the highway. Well, of course, it was a real pissing contest, "My tanker can squirt higher and harder than yours!!". When the planter arrived home, a passing policeman told him he was 'wanted at the cop shop'. I think they only gave him the hassle of having to make a statement, and wait whilst they typed it up. The laugh came next day, when the cutters turned up. Not only was the cane unburnt, it was also sopping wet, and the soil beneath really slutchy to walk on. Not happy, they weren't. And the hairdresser lost me as a customer.

This last season we spotted the fire-raisers and called out the police and fire brigade straight away, and they soon had the first fire out. The cutters next day arrived to find 90% unburnt and showed signs of going to burn the rest. But a quick phone call had a copper there within a couple of minutes, and he convinced them not to dare. To cap it all one of their over-laden trucks turned on its side as it manoeuvred from the field. They had loaded it manually, carrying the bundles up a long metal stairway (a Brit Health and Safety Inspector would have a fit, if he saw it). But they called up a couple of loading tractors, who soon had the truck on its wheels and reloaded. The tractor drivers were obviously well practised at righting capsized trucks. But they would require payment. So again the cutting crew looked not pleased.

[KevinN]

Whiskey :

Distilled liquor made from grains. There are many types of whiskey, all with their own flavor. Scotch is generally a blend of various whiskies varying among the different producers and is usually served straight. Irish Wiskies are generally smoother in taste. Canadian whiskies make good mixers. Among the American whiskies there are Bourbon (distictive flavor, full style), Wild Turkey (served straight), and Tennesse.

Sato is Thai for the beer from fermented rice,RICE is the grain of choice in Thailand.

BUDWEISER also uses rice in the making of their beer as did my dad when he made beer.

When SATO is distilled it makes whiskey,as whiskey is made from fermented grains and rice is a grain=whiskey