Starting My First 20 Rai Rice Field Soon.

[Nickthegreek]

Hi Guys,

After many discussions with the wife and family it seemed better to go along the rice route than the bio crop route based on water issues.

I am just trying to get some experience clarity.

We have brought at this piont 20 rai of land back into the family which has been let on a long term rent as my father in law went down the sugar cane road on 80 rai of his other land.

We know have 20 rai which we will start to grow rice on in May,it has been growing rice for the past 8 years so its all good.

I have been told that it will cost me 40,000 baht as a one off payment to buy top quality rice and chemcals for start,is this some where near?

I have also been told that it should produce an imcome of 7,000 baht per rai,therefore giving me a return of around 140,000 baht for the rice crop,in its five month duration,Is this somewhere near?

Finally I am now reading that I can crop in between the rice and grow other things,the family have suggested fooy long beans,but I read here maybe yellow beans..

Any advice appreciated..

Nick

[fruity]

I am no expert, but your expected returns seem high? Growing long beans is very labour intensive, requires constant tending & lots of water.

Hi Guys,

After many discussions with the wife and family it seemed better to go along the rice route than the bio crop route based on water issues.

I am just trying to get some experience clarity.

We have brought at this piont 20 rai of land back into the family which has been let on a long term rent as my father in law went down the sugar cane road on 80 rai of his other land.

We know have 20 rai which we will start to grow rice on in May,it has been growing rice for the past 8 years so its all good.

I have been told that it will cost me 40,000 baht as a one off payment to buy top quality rice and chemcals for start,is this some where near?

I have also been told that it should produce an imcome of 7,000 baht per rai,therefore giving me a return of around 140,000 baht for the rice crop,in its five month duration,Is this somewhere near?

Finally I am now reading that I can crop in between the rice and grow other things,the family have suggested fooy long beans,but I read here maybe yellow beans..

Any advice appreciated..

Nick

[lannarebirth]

I've never seen anything else cropped amongst rice plantings, except fish.

[fruity]

He's talking about using the land during the time the rice is harvested & re-planting next year! Rice takes approx 5 months from start to finish, that leaves 7 months idle!

I've never seen anything else cropped amongst rice plantings, except fish.

[Gary A]

The local farmers who are lucky enough to be near irrigation projects plant rice and follow the rice with soybeans. That is their normal rotation. They are harvesting the beans now.

[ozzydom]

Hypothetical figures are just that,"hypothetical". Take 10 rice growers nearby each other on similar conditions and they will get 10 different results.

Without proper soil analysis prior to preparation to tilling nobody can tell with any certainty what fertilizer in what amounts is required.

For instance our best harvest was over 1 tonne a rai on land that had grown weeds (in abundance ) for the previous 2 seasons and no fertilizer was used as soil analysis showed none was required.

\Most rice paddy has a surplus of N because of the amount of Urea farmers tend to toss around ,whereas many are short on K which is important in the final stages of growth and seed formation.

The best route is to A.Have a soil analysis done and add fertilizer to rectify any shortcoming,the analysis will give recommendation of what and how much to apply.

B . Use only fresh certified seed .

C. ensure your paddy is level, as to get adequate water to any high sections means you drown lower areas resulting in uneven growth and laydown (for which the snails will love you).

[Nickthegreek]

Many Thanks for the replys..

Goes some way to answer the questions..However

The land has been used for 8 years previously as stated to grow rice,we have just gained the land back..

I am really trying to find out approximate harvest amounts and what the rice sells for.I appreciate that iot differs but there must be an approximation surely?

Seeems to be when growing bio plants...

[jayenram]

The first, last and only time we were directly involved in growing rice was in 2000 on 12 rai of paddy.

A. The rice plant was "pre-started" and re planted individually by hand (farm labour was then Bht 100.00/day).

B. Fertiliser was used twice during the season at approx Bht 600.00 total per rai.

C. The yield was 8 pac per rai (640 kg/rai) - The rice was harvested mechanically for 1 pac/rai.

D. The price at the rice mill at harvest time was Bht 5.80/kg (we had minimal storage facilities).

E. Our net profit in 2000 was Bht 950.00 per rai.

In 2001, we rented out the paddy for 2.40 pac per rai (approximately Bht 1,250.00/rai) at 2001 prices.

[slapout]

Nick; I am not a rice farmer but your questions (2) post #7 about harvest amounts, varies from a big flat zero to over 1 ton per rai. Price of rice varies depending om several physical factors of the crop as well as who is buying, where, amount involved, etc and recently on the latest rumor and or informed or uninformed press release made by some of Thailands experts. To clarify my projection of amount, refer to recent reports of aphids, theft, and inexperienced farmers who think farming will be a very profitable business. , and to ozzydom's post.

[Somtham]

..However

The land has been used for 8 years previously as stated to grow rice,we have just gained the land back..

I am really trying to find out approximate harvest amounts and what the rice sells for.I appreciate that iot differs but there must be an approximation surely?

How about just talking to the folks that have been farming the land for the last 8 years? It should be a very good "approximation".

rgds

[Pond Life]

I know this does not answer the OP, but it may well be of interest to anyone considering growing rice.

Rice_growing_SRI.pdf

[Nickthegreek]

Well Thanks to all for the constructive support..

A very bigs thanks to Pond life,this document looks like a great read..

I am not jumpimg into farming with both feet this is a plan to test the waters, to see if it will produce enough money to relax a little.

I am quite lucky the land is great and I know that my Father in law only has regrets at leasing the land to a Thai businessman 8 years ago as he has continued to gain good profits from the land.

I guess if i was completely honest i was trying to double check him proposed returns on the land,as I will have to trust them completely,i will not be hand son with this for at least another ten years,when I may make the move to sunny Pectchabun..

Again many thanks

[ozzydom]

Nick, Please understand ,it is hard enough to try quoting the type of figures you are seeking , but you have not given your location even, and as has been posted before, there is a large difference in historical harvests between say Northern Thailand and the Western and Central Plateau against the poorer soil conditions found in Issan.

Prices that will be available next season ?,extremely hard to guess with the record prices of commodities at this time. will they keep rising ,hold there place or drop, many rice futures dealers would also like the answer to that one.

Supply and demand usually dictates prices,the demand is there and the harvest this year is down ,but the recent price rises has put rice out of reach of many in the world for whom rice is a staple food.

As slapout and Somthan say ,ask other growers in your area what their harvest quantities were ,the local rice mill will have current prices posted, that will give you an idea of what to expect.

[Nickthegreek]

Hi Ozzydom,

Thanks, I understand where you are coming from,I guess I did not expect rice to vary so much across the country as it obviously does.

I am fairly sure what I have been told so far is accurate based on the quality of the land which is in Si thep.

I will have to suck it ans see,fortunatley its not my main means of income in Thailand I think if I only had twenty rai I will be in trouble long term..

I will suck it and see this year and maybe I will be lucky.