Price Of Eucalyptus

[Joe Walshe]

Wife has 200 rai of 3 1/2 yera old Eucalyptus growing in Chaiyaphum. People from local logging company had offered her 13,000 bht per rai last year, to be paid when trees 3 1/2 years old. Today guys from logging company offered 8,000 bht per rai. Logging people are cutting neighbours plantation and wanted to make it worthwhile to move equipment to site.

We are not in any hurry to sell and will wait for trees to be 5 years old. However, I am a little concered about the lack of competition out there when it comes to selling.

Any comments welcome.

[chownah]

One logger does not set the price for trees....concern about agricultural prices is always warranted but one logger quoting one prices on a particular day doesn't fix the market. As the bids you have gotten have changed so much over the past year it is possible that they will change again by as much in the next year.

Chownah

[bdenner]

Road side buyers are still paying 1050 B per tonne here in NE Isaan been the same all year and up from 980 B last year, we must have a weigh station every 10 Km around here with a new one opening most every month. Ofcoarse the owner has to pay to get the crop to them.

[somo]

Road side buyers are still paying 1050 B per tonne here in NE Isaan been the same all year and up from 980 B last year, we must have a weigh station every 10 Km around here with a new one opening most every month. Ofcoarse the owner has to pay to get the crop to them.

Hi.

I am thinking of planting about 40 rai with eucalyptus. Can you give me any indication how many tons (4 year old trees) from 1 rai I could expect. Would be a big help working out the economics of it.

[soundman]

Road side buyers are still paying 1050 B per tonne here in NE Isaan been the same all year and up from 980 B last year, we must have a weigh station every 10 Km around here with a new one opening most every month. Ofcoarse the owner has to pay to get the crop to them.

Hi.

I am thinking of planting about 40 rai with eucalyptus. Can you give me any indication how many tons (4 year old trees) from 1 rai I could expect. Would be a big help working out the economics of it.

In Prachinburi province, tree growers are averaging about 30,000B per rai (1000B per tonne) for 3 1/2 year old trees. That is a cut & delivered price.

To OP - sounds like the loggers were just floating a price on you & seeing if you would sell. Ask them what price they would do a cut & delivery for per rai. ie. get them to break it down.

[somo]

Thanks for the info soundman.

I too would be interested to know the cost of cutting and delivery.

[mangofarmer]

I would be very interested to learn more about the pros and cons of planting eucalyptus trees and the possible returns. My family have about 40 rai that needs utilising and I am considering a few options but quite like the idea of eucalyptus. Any advice or pointers as to where I can investigate further would be much appreciated.

Steve

Dear Somo, regarding eucalyptus planting: I recently learned that large eucalyptus plantations have a negative environmental impact. They deplete ground water, the ground water level will sink in a large area oround the eucalitus fields and other crops do not grow. The tree also reduces the soil quality, after some years only eucalyptus can grow on the soil (an interesting evolutionary trick!). Growing of eucalyptus seems first interesting; but with the environmental impacts it seems not a sustainable approach. Probably good to do some research related to the environmental impact before making decision.Best regards, Dieter

[ozzydom]

Mangofarmer,as you can see by Dieters post(quote) eucalyptus growing is an emotive issue, though being an Aussie and a lover of eucalyptus in their many forms I will try to be objective and neutral.

First off,eucalypts should be considered only after much research as to whether the site is suitable for other quicker and more profitable crops. Eucalyptus is not a plant and forget crop,they require ongoing maintenance and care in the form of pruning, fertilizing,watering , weed control , ploughing etc and with no return for at least 4 to 5 years ,the proviso is that this type of care is needed if you want to maximise returns with a well grown crop, in that regard it is just like any other.

Personally I am not in favour of pulping 4-5year old trees,the real returns come from 15-20 year saw logs.

Growing on your eucalyptus is not all pain as you normally plant fairly densely and thin at 5 and 8 years leaving your best trees with saw log potential to grow on.

With a dexterous google finger you will find annual growth rates of a eucalyptus in cubic feet, then you only need research saw log prices per cubic feet and do your sums.

You will find many studies on eucalyptus if you google eucalyptus+thailand,I appreciate the views of the detractors and some of their arguments are not without foundation ,but I have yet to read a Thai based study defending their points.

Many of the plants that provide essential oils have the same characteristic of being able to keep competitors at bay including tea tree,melaleuca etc,but if you are farming these plants that is not a bad trait.

As for poisoning the soil,I have seen marvelous pasture sown directly after clear-felling and burning eucalyptus forest,also vineyards and vegetable crops grown directly after chain clearing mallee (another euca)when irrigation has come available.

In my home state we had to use a log skidder or dozer to clear the undergrowth from around large saw-log trees just so we could get in to fall them, (I am talking up to 100metres high and 12 to 20 foot butt diameter,)

Many of the perceived problems with eucalyptus are not without answers,there are many practices which will keep them in check such as root pruning,which just involves running a three furrow disc or plough up the centre of the rows once a year ,this prunes the roots and loosens the soil for better water absorption .

The secret to any agricultural pursuit is not in the finding problems but in solving them. (my words of wisdom for the day.)

ozzydom

[Deke]

The new prime minister seems to be a big fan of Eucalyptus

I also just got back from a meeting at Kasetsart University where we discussed some biofuel possibilities for Eucalyptus.

What would the price/ton be for just the top part of the tree?

[ozzydom]

The new prime minister seems to be a big fan of Eucalyptus

I also just got back from a meeting at Kasetsart University where we discussed some biofuel possibilities for Eucalyptus.

What would the price/ton be for just the top part of the tree?

Interesting turn of events Deke.