Thailand facing the global market.  Pain will be felt.  I Read about best tasting rice  is not from Thailand.   Not that any rice has much taste for me.  

11 hours ago, webfact said:

When assessor Thammanit, 34, announced the low price, Suphot got a shotgun and fired at his head.

 

Daily News reported that the Dork Kham Tai police and rescue services found the victim with his brains blown out.

 

Today's cultural lesson.

 

Don't give a Thai a poor assessment. 

5 hours ago, epicking said:

My relatives by Nong Khai has havested rice yesterday for the last time on their 12 rai.
Prices are too low to match the labor and harvest cost.
They have 12 rai of rubber tree´s too, but that prices is way down too.
They have no idea what to live off soon and desperation are very clear in the whole area.
Now they are looking into Fruit threes or goats

 

My advice...sell the land, if you can. Rice farming is subsistence farming, costs outweigh the returns most times. Rubber prices are volatile at best, quite depressed now, even with natural latex gloves in high demand. Durian might be worthwhile, but waiting for maturity of the trees will kill you.

 

We've been trying to get rid of land here for 2 years. Chanote land. You think anyone wants it, when Sor Por Kor is cheaper and no one has any money or interest?

Trying to tell GF that it would be cheaper to buy mom rice rather than fertilizer.    Why do they feel they must grow their own rice? 

17 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Same miserable game every year.

Those who are forced to sell will be exploited.

By the ever greedy millers.

8 hours ago, Elkski said:

Thailand facing the global market.  Pain will be felt.  I Read about best tasting rice  is not from Thailand.   Not that any rice has much taste for me.  

I gave up on Thai rice now I only eat Indian basmati varieties, so much more flavourful.

18 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Prices pushed down to silly levels (7 Baht/kg I heard at the table this morning).

 

Hard to justify exposing their children to such horrendous levels of 2.5 PM air pollution for only 7 Baht/kg. ????

14 minutes ago, Venom said:

Hard to justify exposing their children to such horrendous levels of 2.5 PM air pollution for only 7 Baht/kg.

 

In case I miss it, will someone tell me when the bad PM2.5 levels start? 

Now in my area they only buy unprocessed rice, wet, for 3฿/kg and this years yield is below average. From most of our fields we have only harvested 50% or less from last year's yield. Too less rain when need it and too much rain when not needed.
Luckily for me I didn't use any chemical fertilizer otherwise it would be a big lost.
A lot of farmers will struggle for the next years ends meet. That will be a field day for all the loan sharks.
And to those who say grow something else, that's easier said than done. This soil is unfertile, I have tried some many diverent yield fruits, nothing grows even bad weeds.

19 hours ago, SomchaiCNX said:

I suggest they concentrate on being self sufficient with different crops en going without pesticides and use natural fertilizers instead. They will safe a lot of money on these two products.

Thanks, what two products are you referring to? 
belpeppers or strawberries?

18 hours ago, Scott Tracy said:

 

My advice...sell the land, if you can. Rice farming is subsistence farming, costs outweigh the returns most times. Rubber prices are volatile at best, quite depressed now, even with natural latex gloves in high demand. Durian might be worthwhile, but waiting for maturity of the trees will kill you.

 

We've been trying to get rid of land here for 2 years. Chanote land. You think anyone wants it, when Sor Por Kor is cheaper and no one has any money or interest?

I agree with you, but asking people to sell land they have worked very hard to purchase in the first place takes not only common sense, but also a psychologist. Land is pretty much all they have and there are so few jobs to be had unless they move for the city and thats will require lots of medical sedation before that happens. Farmers are farmers.
Durian might be interesting. I will check that out. Right now they are looking into Avocado´s, but im sure thats a good idea.

5 hours ago, OttoPollmann said:

Now in my area they only buy unprocessed rice, wet, for 3฿/kg and this years yield is below average. From most of our fields we have only harvested 50% or less from last year's yield. Too less rain when need it and too much rain when not needed.
Luckily for me I didn't use any chemical fertilizer otherwise it would be a big lost.
A lot of farmers will struggle for the next years ends meet. That will be a field day for all the loan sharks.
And to those who say grow something else, that's easier said than done. This soil is unfertile, I have tried some many diverent yield fruits, nothing grows even bad weeds.

I agree with you here. Family to to plant a part of their field too early and that failed. it was a calculated Risk.
And yes, the soil are <deleted> and  the cost to redo a Rise field is big. It has to be raised almost at least 50 cm so it doesnt drown during rain season and it has to be fenced off so cows dont wander in and destroy the crops / trees.
All that is very costly.

1 hour ago, epicking said:

Thanks, what two products are you referring to? 
belpeppers or strawberries?

Sorry, I mean you will save a lot of money by not using pesticides and fertilizers.

 

4 minutes ago, SomchaiCNX said:

Sorry, I mean you will save a lot of money by not using pesticides and fertilizers.

 

Thanks and yes, thats true.

A post using a trolling meme has been removed. 

Fortunately all our rice gets eaten by family, never need to sell. This year so far so-so, 25 bags (not sure how much in a bag, but i would guess no more than 30 kilos). All grown without chemicals, so costs are restricted to ploughing and harvesting, but still a hell of a lot more than 6 baht a kilo.

 

Alternative crops? As already said elsewhere, the soil in a rice paddy is usually poor, floods when it rains and it would require raising the level to grow anything else. Strawberries and bell peppers? Has anyone suggesting this ACTUALLY tried growing them in Thailand? Not impossible, but very demanding in the climate here - I know! Have tried and failed - all my strawberries plants died in the hot season, and although i can get bell peppers to grow, usually about tomato sized - not commercially saleable. Nearly all green/salad veg shrivel up and die in the hot season, no matter how much water you give.

 

I have invested in a shade house this month, so i can extend the growing season next April - i hope.

My relatives are up at Bueng Kan, so thats near you.
They calculated  that it costs them about 12K to make around 40-50 bags of 24kg all included for 6 Rai which is about what they consume in a year themselves. They can buy that for the same price today and not have the bother.
I dont think they use any chemicals either.
I have my doubt about strawberries and bellpebbers too in that climate and transforming a Rice field to anything else is expensive and a bother. This is what they plan to do to convert the rice field to grow other things.
 

7 hours ago, epicking said:

Right now they are looking into Avocado´s, but im sure thats a good idea.

I have tried it in Chiang Rai area, the climate was ok

usualy it takes 5 to 6 years to have fruits

 

The trees were growing well but even after 7 years and despite to try

with 5 differents sorts of avocados (Different varieties and countries of origin)

still not even 1 fruit to eat ! Nothing !

 

Icing on the cake, at the end an unknow parasite or disease had ruined half of my trees

 

Please ask to your relatives to do a lot of research before to start

and don't expect any return on investissment, if any, before years

good luck

 

nb i am not anymore in farming

but if i had to do it again in Thailand, i will go 

for banana trees, mangoes and papaya

 

these are not big money makers, but at least you have something to harvest

on a regular basis, not a lot of bother to grow (Banana and papaya grow alone

pretty fast mostly without help) it gives you something to eat, plus you can still sell directly to the local market 

Almost everything has already been said above (e.g. rickudon, kingofthemountain at this page).

Though it may sound pessimistic, but now and in the future we do small scale farming,

better gardening - only as a hobby.

We lost a lot of time, enjoyment of work and money too to deal with the 'facts'.

Only one warning for 'mango friends': the Rhytidodera bowringii.

Its ugly stem boring larvae had destroyed many of our  10 to 15 year old mango trees.

(almost) No chance against it.

Returning to the OP, for me it is totally understandable that farmers prefer rice cultivation.

But when the price drops dramatically ...

 

 

19 hours ago, epicking said:

Thanks and yes, that's true.

That's why most of them end up with depts in the first place.

14 hours ago, kingofthemountain said:

I have tried it in Chiang Rai area, the climate was ok

usualy it takes 5 to 6 years to have fruits

 

The trees were growing well but even after 7 years and despite to try

with 5 differents sorts of avocados (Different varieties and countries of origin)

still not even 1 fruit to eat ! Nothing !

 

Icing on the cake, at the end an unknow parasite or disease had ruined half of my trees

 

Please ask to your relatives to do a lot of research before to start

and don't expect any return on investissment, if any, before years

good luck

 

nb i am not anymore in farming

but if i had to do it again in Thailand, i will go 

for banana trees, mangoes and papaya

 

these are not big money makers, but at least you have something to harvest

on a regular basis, not a lot of bother to grow (Banana and papaya grow alone

pretty fast mostly without help) it gives you something to eat, plus you can still sell directly to the local market 

Just interested, did you plant grafted Avocado, if not then you would be waiting between 12 and 15 years for fruit.

 

If I had my time over again I would be planting date palms as a long term investment. 

On 11/26/2020 at 2:26 PM, Yom said:

absolutly different, sorry.

 

this too

 

Thanks.

But some people can't. Never. 

Yeah indeed, those are sudden changes. Growing something else can be planned.

Also possible dont adapt, but face consequences. Again its your life, you choose.

4 hours ago, JWRC said:

Just interested, did you plant grafted Avocado, if not then you would be waiting between 12 and 15 years for fruit.

 

If I had my time over again I would be planting date palms as a long term investment. 

I made them grow from the cores, and no graft.

From my research it tooks 5\6 years to give fruits

but yes i probably had better results with grafted trees

still a very long term investissment, i don't think any poor

ex-rice farmer able to wait at least 5 to 10 years without any income

10 hours ago, kingofthemountain said:

I made them grow from the cores, and no graft.

From my research it tooks 5\6 years to give fruits

but yes i probably had better results with grafted trees

still a very long term investissment, i don't think any poor

ex-rice farmer able to wait at least 5 to 10 years without any income

I don't know about your research, but it is incorrect, as I said on average 12 to 15 years for fruit when growing from the stone (pip). Once it does start fruiting, you normally get really good quantities of fruit.

5 hours ago, JWRC said:

I don't know about your research, but it is incorrect, as I said on average 12 to 15 years for fruit when growing from the stone (pip). Once it does start fruiting, you normally get really good quantities of fruit.

You are probably right

my ex GF probably cut the trees after i left

and i would never come back to this place

so i would never know

Maybe I don't understand pricing but from what I see from global price indices rice is higher than it has been for several years. April was crazy because of Covid scare but October prices up compared to the last 5 years. Why are farmers getting such low prices from the millers?

 

On 11/26/2020 at 4:19 PM, Elkski said:

Thailand facing the global market.  Pain will be felt.  I Read about best tasting rice  is not from Thailand.   Not that any rice has much taste for me.  

 

the best tasting rice? the answe is often subjective and nationalistic; thais will say thai rice is best, japanese will say japanese rice is best, vietnamese will say vietnamese rice is best...

23 minutes ago, samsensam said:

 

the best tasting rice? the answe is often subjective and nationalistic; thais will say thai rice is best, japanese will say japanese rice is best, vietnamese will say vietnamese rice is best...

 

And Thaivisa members will always say the grass is greener at the other side of the fence

11 hours ago, Sakeopete said:

Maybe I don't understand pricing but from what I see from global price indices rice is higher than it has been for several years. April was crazy because of Covid scare but October prices up compared to the last 5 years. Why are farmers getting such low prices from the millers?

 

greed