What Crop Would Provide The Best Profit On 4 Rai ?

[paul1970]

I have bought 4 rai of land about 30k from Buriram for 70000 Baht (good price ?) that my gf's family is going to farm, they recommend growing Cassava for the best return on the land, BTW I'm not expecting to make a living on this, just hope to make a little and maybe add another rai / year.

Anyway I was just wondering if any of you farmers who have better knowledge than me have an opinion on this, is Cassava going to give me the best baht/rai or would you go for another crop ?

Thanks.

[sibeymai]

Cannabis would definitely make the most profit but you might have some problams as it's illegal.

Really depends if you want a "cash crop" (ie. short harvest and income) such as rice, cassava or sugar cane for food or jetropha for oil or ylang-ylang (canangra odorata), or whether you're thinking longer term such as fruit trees, longer still such as rubber or agarwood, or even longer such as african mahogany. or longest such as teak, or next generation such as ebony.

Generally, the longer the term, the better the overall return.

[Khonwan]

Hi Paul

Cassava would be one option but 4 rai is perhaps better suited to vegetable market gardening. If you have water, 4 rai should be manageable for your gf to grow veg for sale locally and should provide a much better return, I should think.

Your 70k cost of land looks ok to me.

Rgds

Khonwan

[Issangeorge]

70k for the land, that is at least half the price in my area, I wish I could find some land like that. Issangeorge

[mgreek]

The price seems very good, but probably these rai must be far from ihabited area and roads.

Probably it will be very dificult to convice your girlfriend not to farm mangsan palan (tapioca), so follow her opinion... (which of course it is not bad for a 4 rai property).

[Lickey]

4 rai [6400 sq meters] with year round water, [borehole pond mains, electic] mmmmm

I would buy some cassava sticks of high quality [follow khowans pinned site on cultivation and planting} plus fertilize with bat guano every 2 months, so thats 2 rai looked after, in my 1st year of trying cassava, weve been aproached by local farmers to buy the exess sticks already,

Next i would start a covered rubber tree nursery, plants of a good pedigree of course, near 1 rai, the remaing rai i would cover half for saleable salad plants and the remainder as an experimental plot for falang tubers and vegtables, and perhaps some banana plants round the plot and other quick fruters,

Thats my idea of heaven on earth, 4rai, low maintanance, instead, we have 40 rai so many different crops and fruits, its high maintainance and expensive when the pests takeover, so good luck mate, hope it works out for you, Cheers, Lickey.

[paul1970]

Thanks for all the replies. I can't talk her out of Cassava, from the sounds of it it's much less work than any other crop. Though she says she might be interested in doing 1 or 2 rai for Chili, anyone have any input on how easy/difficult chili is and what the retruns are like ?

Sounds like I got lucky with the land, it has a main road along one side and there is a smallish stream along the lower edge. 70K because I bought from gf's cousin who wanted to sell quick because of some illness in the family and had hospital bills to pay. Every cloud has a silver lining comes to mind.

[jumbo]

Thanks for all the replies. I can't talk her out of Cassava, from the sounds of it it's much less work than any other crop. Though she says she might be interested in doing 1 or 2 rai for Chili, anyone have any input on how easy/difficult chili is and what the retruns are like ?

Sounds like I got lucky with the land, it has a main road along one side and there is a smallish stream along the lower edge. 70K because I bought from gf's cousin who wanted to sell quick because of some illness in the family and had hospital bills to pay. Every cloud has a silver lining comes to mind.

Lucky and happy about taking advantage of somebody's misery and even family??

[12DrinkMore]

Lucky and happy about taking advantage of somebody's misery and even family??

No,

"very pleased to have helped out this poor family in their moment of need"

Well, that is what a local wealthy Chinese told me as he screwed a local family out of their land in similar circumstances.

The OP's family were lucky to have found somebody with cash, otherwise it could have been a forced sale at very much less. The Chinese are absolutely ruthless in these situations. Or even worse, they could have turned to the local money lender and borrowed at "10 Baht", meaning 10% per month, and lost the land plus whatever else they had.

[Maizefarmer]

" ...........70K because I bought from gf's cousin who wanted to sell quick because of some illness in the family and had hospital bills to pay. Every cloud has a silver lining comes to mind"............... and you just happend to be around when all this is happening?????

The amount of ex-pats I have met over the years who just happen to turn up when someone is sick, or a bill has to be paid ... and the common thread to all of them is what ?? - it's a plot of land of some or other size.......

Coinidence? - me thinks not.

....... and whats the one thing so often missing from these scenario's/write ups??

It is the traditional money lender (who lurks in the background of just about every rural community). Money lenders know the communities they operate amongst, they know the families in those communities and they know everything about them and their finances that is worth knowing.

Believe me, if it was anywhere near a good deal the local "money lender" would have being onto it like a vulture............