Crop Questions

[Maizefarmer]

Just how many rai they have I don't know - its certainly not 1 or 2 or even 5 or 10 rai - the setup they have is larger than that - all greenhouses and as a BOI incentivesed project, yes - the produce goes to Europe

[billd766]

I dont sound critical but why dont you look at farming 5 rai and teach your family to grow quality produce and look at a export market small crops are hard work but the returns are great

plus you dont wait 12months for a return

there are some great markets around

I used to earn one million dollars of 10 acres

and export to new zealand /singapore

if you want to know more will inform you further

That works out to 1.4 million baht a rai. Yes i think everyone reading this thread would like to learn more. Issangeorge

I cant wait for the next instalment,the tractor is all warmed up ready to start ploughing.

Can I borrow your tractor and expertise when you have finished, pretty please. :D

[ozzydom]

I dont sound critical but why dont you look at farming 5 rai and teach your family to grow quality produce and look at a export market small crops are hard work but the returns are great

plus you dont wait 12months for a return

there are some great markets around

I used to earn one million dollars of 10 acres

and export to new zealand /singapore

if you want to know more will inform you further

That works out to 1.4 million baht a rai. Yes i think everyone reading this thread would like to learn more. Issangeorge

I cant wait for the next instalment,the tractor is all warmed up ready to start ploughing.

Can I borrow your tractor and expertise when you have finished, pretty please. :D

On further reflection ,I shut the tractor down,I cant for the life of me think of any LEGAL crop that will return 3Mill baht an acre.

Also on scanning other posts by peterjohn,I see he is a truck driver in Oz soooooooo !

I also dont think he was referring to cut flowers as he mentioned NZ and Singapore as the market, two different climates and both are already large exporters of cut flowers anyway.

Of course it could have been a 10 acre block at Kalgoolie complete with gold nuggets to be picked up.

With any luck he will come back and give us the secret so that we can all jump on the gravy train.

[slapout]

Been around farming and oil field most of my life, never heard of, saw, or smelled a 3 million baht /acre farm. This included a lot of 160 acre farms that had a oil well on them, the faqrm and oil income together did not produce 3500 dollars a acre to the land owner/ farmer. But on this news I am also open minded, just tell me how, you dont have to show me. I am just afraid its a secret like the Lost Dutchman mine, it may die with the holder of same.

[gwynt]

Inter-cropping maize and cassava is common in Thailand - as these 2 crops grow together very well.

Sugar cane earnings per rai vary HUGELY - but use the following as ball part figures:

1) between Baht 390 - 630 p/ton

2) between 6 - 9.5ton per rai.

So just why is there such a huge variation?

Its a combination of factors but primarily 2:

a) variety planted - which accounts for different weights per rai harvested

duration planted for - some vrieties mature in as little as 9 - 11 months, whereas others can take 18 - 21months

So - one farmer may earn Baht X over say 12 months and another farmer earns Baht X over 18 months - assuming prices per tonn are the same the they have both harvested the same amount per rai for the same area of rai. In actual fact although he 2nd farmer has earned the same amount, in real tersm terms his earnings will will work out about 50% less when looked at over time.

In short Kolohe, there is big variation in cane earnings.

heres another complication - it is in fact the biggest complciation facing Thai cane farmers: its logistics. The transportation of harvested cane makes and breaks farmers every year. i don;t want to run thorugh it again, but if you search the sugare cane threads, I wrote som notes up in 2006 somewtime about the logistics problems facing Thai cane farmers. It is even worse now than it was 2 years ago.

Hi all

At a cane collecting processing factory I passed a week ago Loei side of Udon there was a big banner outside advertising a minimum of 850tbaht /ton.

We have 13 rai of cane and have been offered 10,000baht/rai for next years crop and it's only about 300mm tall at the moment.

hopefully informative

Gwynt

[Maizefarmer]

There's a whole bunch of fine detail to cane contracts - is that before of after transport costs to the mill, who's responsibility is it to harvest the cane and get it to the mill, by what date does the cane have to be cut, ect ect..........?

Before signing on the dotted line, or taking a forward deposit (many times you will be offered an advance deposit - dont be tempted) make sure you have all the fine detail in writing and someone has explained it to you.

[slapout]

Many of these fine fellows who make the tenative offers for crops, etc are in many cases, making their offers on a pyramid type of scam where very little cash is put into the sellers hands. Options on land, a future crop, livestock etc are best dealt with by asking for the monies up front with part of it (a small part) in a account which requires your and their authorization, for you to draw final payment. I have never seen these people make a success out of this pie in the sky deal with farmers who know what they are doing and the history of their production unless they are very hard pressed for cash. You know your average ton/rai for past years, if price offered suits you, ask for payment with a % to be held to varify the crop is yours to sell. They will probably tell you they will pay after the harvest, delivery and accounting between them and mill etc. The option to purchase can be a good deal for parties involved or it can be hel_l for the party who does not get what he was told, or in many cases as crop, purchaseing agent and everyone on that end just vanish overnight. I do not care what is written in a contract if the money isnt there for the seller there is little recourse for the screwee.

[gwynt]

The offer was only a verbal from the local "agent" we have no intention of signing up to any deal and as luck happens do not need to as I am still a wage earner, unfortunately, so the income from the land is not an issue. Any profit is used for further investment untill I stop work.

Cheers

Gwynt

There's a whole bunch of fine detail to cane contracts - is that before of after transport costs to the mill, who's responsibility is it to harvest the cane and get it to the mill, by what date does the cane have to be cut, ect ect..........?

Before signing on the dotted line, or taking a forward deposit (many times you will be offered an advance deposit - dont be tempted) make sure you have all the fine detail in writing and someone has explained it to you.