BANGKOK (NNT) - Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the air force are collaborating on a fruit swap program, to shore up fruit prices.

 

The air force flew two tons of mangosteen, from the southern province of Surat Thani to Chiang Mai, to be sold in the North. The transport plane is to return with two tons of longan to be sold in the South.

 

Surat Thani governor Wichawut Jinto said that, this year, his province has produced about 7,000 tons of mangosteen and that the fruit is in over-supply locally. The sluggish economy, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, has reduced the mangosteen price to an all-time low.

 

He said it is necessary to help fruit growers, by providing them with more channels though which to sell their produce, adding that the program will be expanded to cover a swap of rambutan and rice between the South and the Northeast. This year’s harvest of rambutan in Surat Thani is expected to be around 38,000 tons.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-08-10

 

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Is there not a more costly way they can fly fruit around the country? Perhaps this is their main reason for the Thai space program.

'Ground Control to Major Tom...ato...'

The self piloting banana coming soon,, to be marketed as NANA unzipped.

those military transportation aircrafts do take 10 tonnes of cargo at time and cost some 300 000 per 1h flight in fuel alone.

So this exercise cost 1 000 000 b, which is way above value of those 4 tonnes of fruits.

If was enough to move them 100km or even 200km in a pick up van for a total 1k baht for LPG.

They have just wasted 999 999 b, so some general can get his wages

Edited August 10, 20214 yr by internationalism

4 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture

Are they moving 'flour' around as well?

It appears nuts are in over supply here too... Can they not be flown far, far away too? 

Edited August 10, 20214 yr by djayz

Transport by military aircraft? Who pays the kerosene bill? Are there any economic benefits for society at all?

And so many people that are hungry right now because of Covid would have loved to eat that Fruit at source or close by

It ain't cheap to transport items by air.  Using tax dollars to pay the flight hour cost....that little detail wasn't mentioned.

They have to do training flights, keeps the aircraft serviceable and the pilots hours up.

 

I would think along these lines.

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The air force flew two tons of mangosteen, from the southern province of Surat Thani to Chiang Mai, to be sold in the North. The transport plane is to return with two tons of longan to be sold in the South.

2 tonnes..2 tonnes....???

 

goodness me, or Words to that effect. What a  complete waste of money and effort and manpower. When trains run North and soith, lorry drivers are desperate for work and can carry a <deleted> load more than 2 tonnes...I

No wonder the prices are high when the mode of transport is factored in.  Cheeses wept. What are these people thinking? Market economy, my <deleted>.

17 minutes ago, sungod said:

They have to do training flights, keeps the aircraft serviceable and the pilots hours up.

 

I would think along these lines.

yes, but they never mentioned that.

Also those air crafts are able tens of tonnes to carry, not just 2 tonnes.

Those amounts of produce shipped once in a while do nothing for keeping prices up 

Edited August 11, 20214 yr by internationalism

1 minute ago, internationalism said:

yes, but they never mentioned that.

Also those air crafts are able 10-100 tonnes to carry, not just 2 tonnes.

Those amounts of produce shipped once in a while do nothing for keeping prices up 

Pty they aren't moving vaccines around.

9 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Pty they aren't moving vaccines around.

That would be a whole lot more productive

1 hour ago, sungod said:

They have to do training flights, keeps the aircraft serviceable and the pilots hours up.

 

I would think along these lines.

Yes, they need to do training flights but flying vegetables/fruits around is not realistic combat training.  Flying the acft does "not" keep it serviceable; it just drives the need for more service....the more you fly the more service is needed.  Yeap, the pilots get flight hours...just too bad it's not combat training related flight hours.

Edited August 11, 20214 yr by Pib

1 minute ago, Pib said:

Yes, they need to do training flights but flying vegetables/fruits around is not realistic combat training.  Flying the acft does "not" keep it serviceable; it just drives the need for more service....the more you fly the more service is needed.  Yeap, the pilots get flight hours...just too bad it's not combat training related flight hours.

How would a realistic combat training flight carry 2 tonnes of fruit differ from a realistic combat training flight carrying 2 tonnes of rations for troops?

 

Are there any particular extra safety measures involved when flying Mangkut?

good idea !

as traders do not use those market differences and the ensuing opportunities, someone gave a good example and transported 2.000.000 grams of food, (that is a total weight of 4.000.000 , FOUR Millions) between regions to demonstrate market economics.

Market Arbitrage at its best !!

 

Also, using those planes for a country wide beneficial marketing project seems better than let them fly around empty or with just military equipment and personnel, 

…. apparently.

5 minutes ago, sungod said:

How would a realistic combat training flight carry 2 tonnes of fruit differ from a realistic combat training flight carrying 2 tonnes of rations for troops?

 

Are there any particular extra safety measures involved when flying Mangkut?

Missions such as transporting vehicles, machinery, troops, flying into austere airfields, doing touch-and-go's, etc., would be realistic combat training versus transporting fruits/vegetables between two civilian airports for some food companies.

1 hour ago, sungod said:

They have to do training flights, keeps the aircraft serviceable and the pilots hours up.

 

I would think along these lines.

They do training flights, but not from Chiang Mai to Surattani!!

And if you spend a lot of flying hours like this, the planes have to be serviced more often. That costs additional money. The whole thing is a PR show paid by the taxpayer.

2 minutes ago, Pib said:

Missions such as transporting vehicles, machinery, troops, flying into austere airfields, doing touch-and-go's, etc., would be realistic combat training versus transporting fruits/vegetables between two civilian airports for some food companies.

So in times of war no one has ever flown rations from one airfield to another?

 

It's not all white knuckle rides.

2 minutes ago, sungod said:

So in times of war no one has ever flown rations from one airfield to another?

 

It's not all white knuckle rides.

And tons of kerosene are blown there to make a kilo of rambutan 10 baht more expensive? LOL

3 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

They do training flights, but not from Chiang Mai to Surattani!!

And if you spend a lot of flying hours like this, the planes have to be serviced more often. That costs additional money. The whole thing is a PR show paid by the taxpayer.

OK, I take your word that the airforce does not usually fly that route, but planes need to fly and pilots need hours.

5 minutes ago, sungod said:

So in times of war no one has ever flown rations from one airfield to another?

 

It's not all white knuckle rides.

Yeap...such missions occurs.   But at least it's rations to feed the troops/local population in times of need versus doing favors for food companies by lowering the companies transport costs cost to zero since taxpayer dollars are paying for the aircraft flight hour costs.    

 

Just transport it the ol' fashion way of letting Somchai throw the vegetables/fruit in the back of his overloaded truck....he needs the work.  

Edited August 11, 20214 yr by Pib

22 minutes ago, sungod said:

Are there any particular extra safety measures involved when flying Mangkut?

No,  but this could be. !!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL  

 

Edited August 11, 20214 yr by Orinoco

Economically and ecologically this is threefold nonsense. 1. Taxpayer pays the bill. 2. Consumers have to pay more for the fruit. 3. The army is taking away the work of the freight forwarders.

 

It's just a PR trick to raise the army's image. And maybe there is a small provision in the background as "Thank you".

Flying mangosteen to the north to boost prices? They are already as cheap as 20bht a kg here in CM. What nonsense. Use your brains. 

Would have been cheaper to just have the government buy it outright.

 

 

50 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

Economically and ecologically this is threefold nonsense. 1. Taxpayer pays the bill. 2. Consumers have to pay more for the fruit. 3. The army is taking away the work of the freight forwarders.

 

It's just a PR trick to raise the army's image. And maybe there is a small provision in the background as "Thank you".

And the Thais didn't fall for it according to social media.

Burning public money to "get on the telly", and they are so out of touch that they don't expect the public to laugh at their pathetic antics.

 

Never mind, if the laughter gets out of hand they can always have them banged up on some trumped up charge or other.

Edited August 11, 20214 yr by herfiehandbag

IT is a good idea. As said pilots needs the flight hours.

Also military planes must fly. As any plane should.

Normally the military planes would fly without anything and now has a purpose.

Good thinking. However on pic i see a pathetic way of loading, or you also give your soldiers an extra exercise, with this loading. Then again i can go for that.

But isnt it about time, Thailand do something about cargo trains and a network?

Instead of a stupid high speed train from Bk to Huahin or so?