Growing Cassava In Thailand

[Jotham79]

My wife's cousin works at the government research farm around the corner and was talking about Rayong and a couple of others. I was looking to find out when they will sell stems again and place an order, but I wasn't sure what strain to ask for. The wife said they have many varieties. I plan to plant as soon as I can after we harvest our corn Hopefully in October, or maybe November or December (basically whenever I can get stems). I don't think farmers here dig the elevated rows so I may have trouble getting that done. I will irrigate with sprinklers until the get over 1 to 1.5 m high. You had mention trimming back earlier and I would like to know more. How far back do you trim? If I can trim in the spring and sell stems, that would be nice.

[somo]

Do not go with any brand new so called super strain. We had one here a couple of years ago and it was a disaster for some.

Go with Rayong 72 if you can find some. kassetsart, Heuay Bong, are also ok. Essentially it is down to you and what you do in those all important first 3 months not the variety that will make the difference. Treat the plants as you would do a new born and they will take of themselves after that.

Never seen cassava grown without the ridging so shouldn't really be a problem if you are in a cassava area but even so should not be to much of a problem. Every year we encroach a little bit on so called of limits land by planting striaght into unploughed land and it does fine. Just be sure the rains won't waterlog the area.

Come the spring first cut the tops of with the leaves and any branches crossing over so it is easy for the workers to walk down the rows and kill the weeds. After that you can cut the stems off leaving about 12inches at the base. as long as there are 1 or 2 "eyes" they will grow back really fast. At this point you can also apply more fertilizer if you wish. I mix it in with the weedkiller so get 2 jobs done in one but you being on a 1 year cycle probably won't need to.

If you want to sell the stems then delay the whole process untill late May/early June as that is normally when the stem market peaks.

[nev]

Took some Cassava out today, rate we got was 2.35bt/kilo less soil, we have about 52 rai to take out, workers we pay 400bt/ton to take out and load the truck and we drive there and unload, only using our d max and we get around 1.1 ton per load and take 3/4 loads a day, we have a 5.7 ton hino but we find using this chews the diezel and can get bogged in the wet ground.

[somo]

2.35 is not bad this time of year. Around here it is just 2.10

We hire a Tuk Tuk/etan to shift the stuff. About 3-4 tons a go and we pay 120Baht/ton transport.

It does get stuck sometimes but they always get it out and hiring at a rate/ton means it is not my problem.

Our total harvesting costs work out at 500/ton so 380 to dig it up and load much the same as you.

[Issangeorge]

Took some Cassava out today, rate we got was 2.35bt/kilo less soil, we have about 52 rai to take out, workers we pay 400bt/ton to take out and load the truck and we drive there and unload, only using our d max and we get around 1.1 ton per load and take 3/4 loads a day, we have a 5.7 ton hino but we find using this chews the diezel and can get bogged in the wet ground.

Never, how many tonnes are you getting a rai?

[nev]

Took some Cassava out today, rate we got was 2.35bt/kilo less soil, we have about 52 rai to take out, workers we pay 400bt/ton to take out and load the truck and we drive there and unload, only using our d max and we get around 1.1 ton per load and take 3/4 loads a day, we have a 5.7 ton hino but we find using this chews the diezel and can get bogged in the wet ground.

Never, how many tonnes are you getting a rai?

Worked out about 4 tonne per rai, was down for 7 months, in the end we started to use the big truck as it dried out.

Just put down 41 rai, cost 400 bt/rai, seed we cut from what we took out the workers get 3,500 bt for 10,000 seed cut then we pay them 400 bt/ rai to cut and put down.

I should also add we pay 500bt/rai for a deep plow with the tractor the 300bt/rai to make ready for cassava.

Another cot today 2 worker 300bt each due to heavy rain wash out some seeds.

[Issangeorge]

I drove by the Cassava plant just outside of Kalasin yesterday and Cassava was at ฿1.85 a kilogram, what's up with that I haven't seen a price that low in maybe five years. I thought with the push to ethanol the price of cassava would be up, not down. A few years ago when cassava first went to ฿3 a kilogram there was a big move to growing cassava, and the price dropped to the ฿2.5 per kilogram range, but that was before just about all Petro had to be at least 10% ethanol, and there hasn't been an increase in cassava acreage, at least in my area, since that initial increase a few years ago, if anything it has dropped a bit. Surely there must be an increase in demand to supply the increase in ethanol production.

[nev]

I take my cassava to banphai there are two who buy close together who compete so price a little better there,i got a high of 2.65 and a low if 2.20 all in the space of 10 days it varies everyday.

Agree the price should be higher.

[Issangeorge]

The place in Kalasin has a competing place just down the road, and on from about 50 km outside of Kalasin on highway 12 to Kalasin there are 4 factories, lots of competition but still a low price. The one I quoted is the only one that posts its price.

[Issangeorge]

Also this time of year I do not see that many cassava trucks on the road, so not that many people are harvesting, another reason for higher prices.

[somo]

Now the rains are coming to an end the price of cassava has been creeping up.

In the last month has gone from 2.30 to 2.80

Hopefully will soon be about 3.00 or more which is my benchmark for harvesting.

[somo]

Price now 3.10

Harvesting soon. Maybe too early as mid December is usually the peak but who knows.

It's a bit like gambling on the stock market but at some point you have to take a view.

Now the rains are over the tubors will not gain much weight but the price may well hit 3.30 or 3.40

Who knows.

will post some pics later.

[Issangeorge]

Where are they paying that price? My wife has some that has been in the ground 13 months now, maybe time to harvest. Will you plant again, right away?

[somo]

The price should be similar with you just go in and ask if it is not signed up.

No point in replanting now as no rain and many of the plants will die and the rest stunted.

I will wait until next May and start another 18 month cycle then.

I have half my land with 6month old cassava. This will be harvested about this time next year and also provide the stems for the May planting.

You can sow some nitrogen fixer like mung beans to plough in later if you wish.

[russ1]

We have just got back from selling our rice crop, and the same people buy cassava. The price now for root is 3.10.

They say the price for chopped and dried cassava should be around the 7 baht.

Also they said they will be collecting it from us this year.

We plant and harvest every year, last year we made around 13,000 baht a rai.

[somo]

We have just got back from selling our rice crop, and the same people buy cassava. The price now for root is 3.10.

They say the price for chopped and dried cassava should be around the 7 baht.

Also they said they will be collecting it from us this year.

We plant and harvest every year, last year we made around 13,000 baht a rai.

Are you sure about that annual profit/rai. I average about 5,000 Baht/year and reckon that is pretty good.

Please give more details of how you get that profit, ie do you irrigate etc?

[russ1]

Sorry about that should have been more specific. We have to take off the cost of fertilizer and fuel.

So about 9000-9500 profit. We put chicken s**t down every 2 years and 2 bags of fertilizer every year per rai.

We never sell the roots always chop and dry them.

[somo]

OK so if I understand you correctly your profit is about 9000/rai but half of that comes from chopping and drying.

That would make your profit from the roots alone about 4 or 5k ie same as mine?

[russ1]

We chop and dry everything. Is there any reason why you only sell the roots, as you can nearly double your profit from chopping and drying.

[somo]

We have just finished harvesting over 100 tons of tubors with more to come later.We just don't have the space or equipment to chop it up and dry it then transport it 25 miles to the nearest mill. There are two companies who buy in all the tubors around here within a mile or two so as we harvest we drop it of there. I think khonwan looked into the feasability of drying it himself and even with his 200 rai it made more sense to sell the tubors and not dry them. Don't know the scale of your operation?

We had a great harvest with just 4 rai supplying 48 tons! Attached some pics + one of the great crew who work for us,

[inkorat]

B

[elgato]

I'm curious to know about pruning as I don't see anyone around here doing it. We only have about 9 rai in cassava but if pruning makes a big enough difference will hire some Karens to get into the field.

[somo]

I cut stems from my existing plants around April/May (ie at the start of the rains) to plant land harvested the previous December.

They grow back vigorously and it also makes weed spraying/fertilizer application easier so I cut back all my plants. It does seem to give them a boost. Using this method + double my usual amount of fertilizer I achieved 12 tons/rai over 18 months.

This is only for plants I am going to leave in place for a second rainy season. I would not recommend it at any other time of year.

[somo]

Loads of interesting stuff here for cassava farmers

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleListURL&_method=list&_ArticleListID=-829561625&_sort=v&_st=17&view=c&_origin=related_art&panel=citeRelatedArt&_mlktType=Journal&md5=2f0fe23b02192f2a8c2792f671318f5e&searchtype=a

[Allgeier]

The stems from my cassava are big like 0.5 l Coke Bottle and some are more.

I pump only the waste water from the pig and duck stall on the field. Nothing more.

The roots looks normal but the stems in my eyes to big.

What can be the reason for this?

Allgeier

[somo]

The stems from my cassava are big like 0.5 l Coke Bottle and some are more.

I pump only the waste water from the pig and duck stall on the field. Nothing more.

The roots looks normal but the stems in my eyes to big.

What can be the reason for this?

Allgeier

Animal manure tends to be high in nitrogen (N) but low in phosphorous and potassium.

Roughly speaking N gives strong plant growth, P flowering and K for roots.

Cassava consumes virtually no P.

Try adding some K - about 25kg of 0-0-60/rai directly to the area around the stem base.

If you have some half decent roots now would be the perfect time.

[Allgeier]

Thank you somo for your answer.

But we try to run our 6 Rai Farm to go the organic way. Now ist the question in witch organic matter we have this " K" .

Rice hull ash have a about 0.6% potassium. (?). But I can get this for 40 Bath/to.

Skin from cassave ist also cheap. But i dont know what is in the skin inside. I must search first.

The cassave should be in the future part of our feed for livestock.

Somebody tryed to irreged cassave? Here is an video and there talking about 50 to/rai.

https://youtu.be/NdNYF5FkHEM

[Allgeier]

Here is another video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz85UkMst2o

About a byprodukt from the cassavafabrik. After fermentprozess its increase the nutrians. The Thainame ist after:

กากมันหมักยีสต์

gag man mag ieast

Heast mixed with the cassava waste.

[rice555]

Hello All, I don't know if anybody has been talking about this planter,

but the add was in my Sep Ag magazine.

rice555

[Allgeier]

We never sell the roots always chop and dry them.

Can i ask you how you chop them?

I use this grass or corncutter. Its work, but a little bit slowly.

Somethink like a discknife will work better.