Where Do You Sell It?

[c64]

Regards Sirs and ladies.

A newbie question that came from curiosity - nothing else.

Should be quite obvious to you but it ain't to me...

Where do you sell the things that you grow?

It's just that I've been reading this farming topic and that made me none the wiser.

Answers from both hobbyists and professional farmers appreciated.

(btw I'm not in to the ag business nor do i intend to start up).

[Beardog]

c64- You would be much better off with a direct question concerning what answer to what type of variety. That way you can maximize your responses in all the forums.

From what I have gleaned in 5 years in Thailand is there is not much to be made & a lot of hard work to make it. Average advice is 100 rai or more to grow for profit. When I bought 4 & 1/2 rai I thought I could grow the expensive items & make a decent bit. I found out the magic number is more like 100+ rai & up to be a small time contender.If you read most of the farming forum prices per kilo you will see the bigger picture. Thanks to the heavy hitters on this forum( which are most of the people you see post{mainly in this forum} ) The general consensus is you will be glad to make expenses & beer money along with paying bills & if you have enough land a small bit of change. As I was advised early not to expect things like they are in the west.

Maybe the top guns will give you some more insight, but seriously it is way better to post about the item or 2 (at a time) to get a good response. And if you don't get much of a response it was most likely a question to vague for the people who are tired from all days worth of labor in the fields. Good luck to you!

And therein lies the rub Where to sell & will the buyer really give you what they promised....will the market stay stable enough to make it worth it. Years ago Eucalyptus was worth money now nada While Lamai commands 20+ baht a kilo at the supermarket you probably would be fortunate to make 6 baht a kilo. limes probably next to nothing for the farmer but a ton to a middleman. The better question might as well be how do I find someone to show me the ropes to becoming the middleman. I gather that is more or less what your asking, & I think someone would be hard pressed to share the great wealth of knowledge as it might cut into the meager amount they make.

I am answering to you what I can cause a few years back I was a newbie & learned how to ask the questions & the right questions to give some help & if you can contribute back it is always welcomed!

I leave this to the Farming Gurus if they chose to help you further.

Regards Barry

Edited May 16, 2009 by Beardog

[c64]

c64- You would be much better off with a direct question concerning what answer to what type of variety. That way you can maximize your responses in all the forums.

From what I have gleaned in 5 years in Thailand is there is not much to be made & a lot of hard work to make it. Average advice is 100 rai or more to grow for profit. When I bought 4 & 1/2 rai I thought I could grow the expensive items & make a decent bit. I found out the magic number is more like 100+ rai & up to be a small time contender.If you read most of the farming forum prices per kilo you will see the bigger picture. Thanks to the heavy hitters on this forum( which are most of the people you see post{mainly in this forum} ) The general consensus is you will be glad to make expenses & beer money along with paying bills & if you have enough land a small bit of change. As I was advised early not to expect things like they are in the west.

Maybe the top guns will give you some more insight, but seriously it is way better to post about the item or 2 (at a time) to get a good response. And if you don't get much of a response it was most likely a question to vague for the people who are tired from all days worth of labor in the fields. Good luck to you!

And therein lies the rub Where to sell & will the buyer really give you what they promised....will the market stay stable enough to make it worth it. Years ago Eucalyptus was worth money now nada While Lamai commands 20+ baht a kilo at the supermarket you probably would be fortunate to make 6 baht a kilo. limes probably next to nothing for the farmer but a ton to a middleman. The better question might as well be how do I find someone to show me the ropes to becoming the middleman. I gather that is more or less what your asking, & I think someone would be hard pressed to share the great wealth of knowledge as it might cut into the meager amount they make.

I am answering to you what I can cause a few years back I was a newbie & learned how to ask the questions & the right questions to give some help & if you can contribute back it is always welcomed!

I leave this to the Farming Gurus if they chose to help you further.

Regards Barry

Thanks Beardog for your time answering me. Read your answer and views with great interest.

Mmm. A little vague? Can see that i wasn't as clear on the issue as I was supposed to be. The little I know about farming is from back home where the farmers produce what they produce and deliver it to the nearest ag cooperation. They have their own organisations that provide info on trends in the market and price listings on the various crops. Thus I have never heard about industrial farming before where you'll have to find your market/buyer to supply.

No, the question will not be how to become a middle man but more like how to avoid the middle man and get the right prices for what you produce. Can I use the lime as an example? Let's say I have a truckload of limes. The middle man will only offer a price that barely makes it worth looking at the field where they are hanging. How/where to find the real buyer (calling nearby factories, end users, people selling on the markets, cooperations etc)?

Me contributing on the farming section? Bah & ting tong! i can not even get a cactus to survive longer than six months. And i don't think my advice would be worth listening to since my only farm experience involved a haystack and a farm girl plus a wrecked barn door. Just my curiosity that forced me to ask .

Should have been a book out there for wanna be farmers: "Farming in Thailand for dummies".

Regards

Edited May 16, 2009 by c64

[Beardog]

Actually they do have a farming for dummies . This forum is the best I have ever found for answers & some mighty fine gents at that. Maybe if Maizefarmer- Slapout- Lickey- Rice555- Junglebiker- Pondlife or any of this countries best see this they can help you put. Wish I had the answer- but the more I learn about the selling end the more I realize how little I know about the subject. But don't get discouraged. No question is usually an ignorant question by no means.

And sometimes on Thaivisa you are better off not posting & let the info come in.... A little like fishing!

Pleasant hunting!

Barry

[Lickey]

Hi Barry and c64, Barry, i hope by your last mail you aint gonna give up on his post, this was something ive been wondering about for the last 3 years, and now its all come clear to me,

Of course the middleman has to take his cut, this happens worldwide, contract farming is another issue, if farmers want to go that way, and get paid in advance, only to find out later there crop is worth 3 times more on the open market.

Im repeating myself here from other posts ive made , in Jan 07, mrs sold the tamarind to a picker, he supplied the labour, 3 pickings, 46,000bht, 60trees, good so far, last May 08, had 1 helluva storm, all the flowers gone from the trees, so we decided to sell from the shop front, no middle man!, we made 31.500 ht in 3 months, the original buyer pestered Mrs 3 times to sell to him, oh so special sweet tamarind, i give you top dollar for this,

We do have a contract of sorts, its for the bananas, the buyer pays 5 bht 1 hand, supplies the labour and transport, fair enough! i go look at the bananas the day before and some have 18 on one hand, so i take these home, gas them, sell next day for 25bht,

Conclusion is, [in our case, except for bananas] forget the middle man, from January to this day, we have made 51.000ht from front door sales,

So thats the way we go about fruit farming, if you farm cassava/sugarcane/rubber trees, then you are stuck with what the factory will pay, with fruit, you can sell to the highest bidder at the local market, no problem,,

Ive got a middle woman, she gets the best price and could find diamonds in dogshit if required,

So just to cap it all, no middleman, no contracts, all word of mouth, if the banana buyer doesnt turn up, mrs finds another in 30 mins,

So now its MF Slapout,Rice555 ect to add a bit to this topic,

Cheers, Lickey,,

[Beardog]

Good man Lickey,

I am glad you jumped in to help c64. I enjoy hearing the words of the masters as well. I haven't hit the sales part yet myself- so it is usable to me also

Hope it is another good year for you.Thanks again for all the help & inspiration you provide!

Barry

[jamescollister]

Hi all

Cann't say much on the fruit and veg selling, give most of our fruit away to the locals if they want to come and pick it. Not that we have too many fruit trees. Rubber on the other hand we sell to the Government, there are private buyers who drive up to buy from locals who don't have transport. We sell in Buntharik every 2 weeks. When you sell they don't give you the price at the time. At the end of the day the buyers check the auction price down south and you get that price minus about 5 Baht. The system is good for the small producers as the Government can stock pile rubber to keep the prices up.

Jim

[c64]

@ Beardog:

Hi there Barry. Thanks again. I do love dropping into this section for reading about agriculture in general and mostly I keep quiet and just gather info. Especially the old timers have a wealth of information that they drop around in the posts. Regards.

@ Lickey:

Thanks Sir for your time. Your lesson was quite invaluable for me and I think that I'm not the only one benefitting from your post. All the best to you.

@ Jamescollister:

Hi there James. Thanks for your input. I wasn't aware of how the rubber market worked at all and was working my way towards that end of ag. Btw outside the topic - have some experience transporting it. Liquid latex is a pain where the sun don't shine. Liquid or solid rubber you are selling?

@ all:

Thanks for your time and effort plus the wealth of knowledge you have given to me in this topic.

Regards

[jamescollister]

c64

I buy and produce latex,afterwhich I take it to my little factory and make ribbed smoked rubber. Have to say we only got going a few months before the price droped like a stone. ergo sold at a loss, but the dry season is over and the price seems a bit more stable so we will be back in business at the end of the month. Jim

[BigSnake]

Regards Sirs and ladies.

A newbie question that came from curiosity - nothing else.

Should be quite obvious to you but it ain't to me...

Where do you sell the things that you grow?

It's just that I've been reading this farming topic and that made me none the wiser.

Answers from both hobbyists and professional farmers appreciated.

(btw I'm not in to the ag business nor do i intend to start up).

The local morning market in your area would be a good starting point, check with your neighbors for exact time and location. There are many in most town aron the kindgom. Good luck, enjoy that green thumb.

[slapout]

lickey has the best handle on getting the most for what you raise. Wife does similar with mango, from farm we transport to CM and sell to stalls who sell green salad, or ripe with sticky rice. Price is about 3 times what middle man offers on farm. You still won't get rich but you will make a little real profit. Lamyai, do not know for this year but prices will be depressed I am sure. Not much local market for a large crop (240+) trees so in the past, we hire pickers and sell to govt. Middlemen have always offered about 1/3 less than we get doing our own picking, etc. Peppers, sweet corn, squash, garlic, onion, etc are sold at local market by MIL/wife, where they have a table set up and consumer buy each day. We have to have 3 crops per year to stay ahead of the game and even then it can get iffy. We are using organic pesticide, raising beans for natural nitrogen and plow vines back in to soil after harvest. The beans go to local market and middleman as local market can not handle volume. Throw in a fish pond, lemon, lime, jackfruit and various other fruit and veggies in smaller amounts you have a ready made 7 day/week, 365 day/year vacation spot.

[Lickey]

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Grade A Lychee 6 Baht Per Kilo?, How much do you pay for picking? Options Track this topic Email this topic Print this topic Download this topic Subscribe to this forum

teletiger

View Member Profile Add as Friend Send Message Find Member's Topics Find Member's Posts 2009-05-10 12:31:02 Post #1

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From: Khao Yai

Member No.: 25,023

On the news today. Villagers around Chiang Mai complaining about getting 6 Baht per kilo for their best Lychee.

Last year I remember paying 30/40 baht at those roadside stalls.

A lot of my neighbours (and ourselves)didn't sell their mango this year. 2 Baht for green mango, 4/6 Baht for the best yellow ones. Another neighbour ploughed in 5 rai white cabbage. 2 baht per kilo for tomatoes. Cane farmers waiting months for payment. I'm just waiting for the corn price in July. Could be a riot.

Regards.

LivinLOS

View Member Profile Add as Friend Send Message Find Member's Topics Find Member's Posts 2009-05-10 14:44:49 Post #2

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Then someones making a fortune between there and here.. GF was complaining at 120 baht lychee at the market stall.. tho it may have come down a little since then as I am guessing those were the early ones.

teletiger

View Member Profile Add as Friend Send Message Find Member's Topics Find Member's Posts 2009-05-10 15:36:50 Post #3

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Therein lies the problem LiLOS. At our local Tesco (Pak Chong) our green mangos go for 19 Baht. Tomatoes 12/15 Baht. White cabbage 11/12 Baht. (The guy who ploughed his in was offered 1.60 Baht, cleaned and boxed!) Yellow mango in Bangkok go for 40/50/60 Baht.

Government should be encouraging co-operatives. Subsidising their early years. Regulating middle men. Hang on. For a moment there I forgot I was in Thailand. Just a wiff of "subsidy" will have more than a few snouts twitching.

The Aussies are good at this. A few of their earlier co-operatives are now international food companies.

Dream on Tigs.

Regards.

Lickey

View Member Profile Add as Friend Send Message Find Member's Topics Find Member's Posts 2009-05-11 02:03:40 Post #4

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Farming Co-ops? mm family fueds come to mind here, Can you believe that 1 family would not stitch the other family up?even if if it wasnt true!

The only middle man we use is for bananas, we get 5 bht a hand, buyer collects and supplies labour, The day before buyer comes to farm, i look at all the 1600 clumps of plants, now some have between 12/18 fruits on 1 hand, [5bht yeah,right!!] i harvest these, gas them for 36 hours and get 30bht a hand, and the buyer gets the best of the rest on farm,

We go to the market weekly to check prices, we always undercut by a few bht, here are a few examples,

Lychee, Market 22bht kilo, us 15bht

Kanoon, Market 26bht kilo, us 15bht [prepared]

Makua Market 8bht, us 6bht,

Mango Market, 5bht 1 green fruit, us, 6bht 2 green fruits,

These are the fruits of the season, once it starts to rain, will have Bamboo shoots for sale, more Papaya than than the local shop needs [20kilo a week, 60bht] and bananas by the triple score,

Except for all of the Bananas, these are front door sales, and with the 3month Tamarind harvest, we are on the 50,000 bht mark in 4.5 months, and that is almost all profit, as i do most of the picking myself, and dont use ferts or cides on the farm, so no overheads,

You can plant a thai national crop like cassava,rice,sugarcane,rubber trees, plant the whole farm with them, and wait a long time for the money, dont get me wrong, i have thought about this, but having experinced cassava, and lost a lot of money, no thanks to any of these crops,

When the 40rai farm was planted 22 years ago, mrs mum & dad had the foresight to plant fruit trees that would fruit at different times of the year, therefore giving the family a regular income and food, and it still goes on to this day and always will,

Diversfy is the answer, It takes 6/7 years for rubber trees to produce, same for any fruit tree,grow many different fruit trees and have year round fruit, people have to eat before they need a truck, [perhaps]

Lickey..

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Grade-Lychee...lo-t264036.html

That was a reply i made a week or so ago to Teletigers post about prices ect, full topic as above,

Mrs informs me that the local market charges 10bht a day for a table, and every night starting at 1am the wholesalers are there, the day market people buy from them and open the stalls at first light, dont ask me when the market people rest, poor buggers,,

Seems Slapout has much the same set-up as us,, always something to sell every week, & Barry, if youve still planting your land, diversify, when you have enough for your family, flog it at the front door, and yes, its quite right, small farms will give you little more than beer money,im not sure whether any falang makes big money from big rai, I would think the bigger the farm, the more the need for a middleman is,

Cheers, Lickey..

[Lickey]

Sorry for the above mess, im having problems with PC just now, if you scroll down and read, im sure it will become clear,

Thanks, Lickey..

[Beardog]

Hi Lickey,

So far I decided on Diversifying by growing trpical plants (exotics that may or may not sell well. Honeysuckle - white ginger - & some other bizarre (but beautiful flowering vines) that i have had a bunch of farangs inquire about. We have bananas some mangoes plan on getting jack fruit trees (thinking of lychee but maybe not.) Our limes are starting to do well & I have a line on getting some cuttings going from a very mature & delicious Golden Calmyira fig tree. I am looking into blackberries as well. Not sure how tough it will be to get through customs . I will find out the requirements to get ag. thru customs before leaving for the states in June. An at home stand sounds like the best answer. I have an opportunity to lease 11 rai for 3100 baht a year & may think about a long term lease to grow macadamia nuts. It takes 10 years + to mature. There is a good market in Hawaii but the freight & customs gotta be a killer. We have a buyer for all the Thai bananas we can produce. If nothing else our home will smell & look great & we will be eating great crops. Green beans do pretty good here also -If you home sell.

No matter what this is more of a hobby so I will not become discouraged or upset if it doesn't pan out. overhead is next to nil- just time of labor, which Alisa & I enjoy doing anyway! No mater what we are living off the fat of the land & are eating some good healthy stuffs.

Can't wait to get back into ordering some more things to grow & quit dicken around with this 1& 1/2 rai fence we got going- along with a klong that is getting undermined by torrential rains. Still beats a 9-5 hr job in the city anyday & whoever thinks that any type of farming won't keep you fit or your brain active never tried his or her hand at farming!

I LIKE IT!!!!!

[PaddyThai]

Hi Lickey,

So far I decided on Diversifying by growing trpical plants (exotics that may or may not sell well. Honeysuckle - white ginger - & some other bizarre (but beautiful flowering vines) that i have had a bunch of farangs inquire about. We have bananas some mangoes plan on getting jack fruit trees (thinking of lychee but maybe not.) Our limes are starting to do well & I have a line on getting some cuttings going from a very mature & delicious Golden Calmyira fig tree. I am looking into blackberries as well. Not sure how tough it will be to get through customs . I will find out the requirements to get ag. thru customs before leaving for the states in June. An at home stand sounds like the best answer. I have an opportunity to lease 11 rai for 3100 baht a year & may think about a long term lease to grow macadamia nuts. It takes 10 years + to mature. There is a good market in Hawaii but the freight & customs gotta be a killer. We have a buyer for all the Thai bananas we can produce. If nothing else our home will smell & look great & we will be eating great crops. Green beans do pretty good here also -If you home sell.

No matter what this is more of a hobby so I will not become discouraged or upset if it doesn't pan out. overhead is next to nil- just time of labor, which Alisa & I enjoy doing anyway! No mater what we are living off the fat of the land & are eating some good healthy stuffs.

Can't wait to get back into ordering some more things to grow & quit dicken around with this 1& 1/2 rai fence we got going- along with a klong that is getting undermined by torrential rains. Still beats a 9-5 hr job in the city anyday & whoever thinks that any type of farming won't keep you fit or your brain active never tried his or her hand at farming!

I LIKE IT!!!!!

Sounds like you got a good life there beardog.

Good luck with your farming

[Beardog]

Thanks Paddy & The same to you & yours!!!

[wagner54]

Hi Lickey,

So far I decided on Diversifying by growing trpical plants (exotics that may or may not sell well. Honeysuckle - white ginger - & some other bizarre (but beautiful flowering vines) that i have had a bunch of farangs inquire about. We have bananas some mangoes plan on getting jack fruit trees (thinking of lychee but maybe not.) Our limes are starting to do well & I have a line on getting some cuttings going from a very mature & delicious Golden Calmyira fig tree. I am looking into blackberries as well. Not sure how tough it will be to get through customs . I will find out the requirements to get ag. thru customs before leaving for the states in June. An at home stand sounds like the best answer. I have an opportunity to lease 11 rai for 3100 baht a year & may think about a long term lease to grow macadamia nuts. It takes 10 years + to mature. There is a good market in Hawaii but the freight & customs gotta be a killer. We have a buyer for all the Thai bananas we can produce. If nothing else our home will smell & look great & we will be eating great crops. Green beans do pretty good here also -If you home sell.

No matter what this is more of a hobby so I will not become discouraged or upset if it doesn't pan out. overhead is next to nil- just time of labor, which Alisa & I enjoy doing anyway! No mater what we are living off the fat of the land & are eating some good healthy stuffs.

Can't wait to get back into ordering some more things to grow & quit dicken around with this 1& 1/2 rai fence we got going- along with a klong that is getting undermined by torrential rains. Still beats a 9-5 hr job in the city anyday & whoever thinks that any type of

farming won't keep you fit or your brain active never tried his or her hand at farming!

I LIKE IT!!!!!

Hi Beardog

Well said I too would rather be working on the farm rather then pulling a 9 to 5 in working for any one else. Also agree with keeping you fit both mentally and physically. I also been wanting to try grow some blackberries, and also mysore raspberries which grow in the southern Florida zone so hopefully will do ok in LOS. Great ideas and a good life you got going. Best of luck and keep us posted on your progress.

[Pond Life]

Bear Dog,

My parents brought me 2 apple tree's from UK.

They got them from a big commercial nursery.

They came with a "Plant Passport".

When they arrived at Chiang Mai they were stopped by customs.

They were asked what was in the box, showed them the tree's + passport.

Customs seemed baffled & were more interested in a carton of Twiglets they were carrying.

They were allowed thru, no problem.

We have tried selling spare fruit & veg at the local market, had very limited success & very low prices.

Many of the stall holders were straight out rude & discouraging.

A stall outside the house seems the way to go, but will wait for tourist season (if it comes).

Good luck all.

[Beardog]

Thanks for the word on the plant passport. I remember shipping anything from Hawaii to the mainland they used a similar system. it had to be certified free of soil. (medfly scare thing in California.) I would love to get some blackberry's & raspberries growing if not for sale for smoothies & eating. I am sure blackberries would be no problem here- not so sure about raspberries.

I guess I should start searching for commercial nurseries with the passports.I know it is a real bitch to try to ship Plumeria stalks without having the nursery.

Once again thanks for the info!!!!!!!!!!!

Barry

[PaddyThai]

Beardog,

I have never seen Blackberries in Thailand.

I know they spread by growing horizontally underground and then sprouting nearby.

If you did mange to grow them in Thailand they could propagate everywhere. Hard to know if their would be any negative enviromental issues.

I know in Ireland blackberry bushes provide excellent protection for wildlife. That may be a good thing in Thailand