Eucalyptus Prices

[PaddyThai]

Wife rang home yesterday and mother in-law says that having arranged to have about 100 rai of euca cut we find that the price keeps dropping. It's now down to 200 Thai baht per ton. A few years ago it was 1,300 per ton. We have to cut now as they are getting too big to allow shoots to produce a second harvest. Also, all our neighbours are cutting and we need to avail of road through there fields to get our lumber out.

Anyone else losing out on Eucalyptus?

[Maizefarmer]

Wow - that low??

I knew the market was "shot", and for sometime now it has been bad, but I had no idea it was that bad. Is it worth looking after it for a 2nd harvest if its that bad(?) - I'd dig the lot up and put the land to better use.

Well, there you go guys - not much point in growing eucalyptus now is there?

[473geo]

I was told that growing Euc really buggered up the land......is that just unfounded rumour.....

[Lickey]

Your price of 200ht a ton, does this take into account of labour cutting down and the transport. do neighbours charge you to cross there land? ect,

Paddy, you are in a very difficult situation, you are being goverend by the neighbours, negotiate a price for your own access road, like MF says, there are many more profitable crops

We have euca on the 40rai farm borders, at about 6 years old, these are cut down and laid to rest in the bamboo plantation, after a year of maturing, mrs sells them to a local furniture maker, not big money, beer money really,

Ive said this before, diversfy, grow lots of different fruit trees, mrs mum & dad bought the farm [nor sor sam ] 30 years ago, and now every month, there is a fruit to eat or sell,

[farmerjo]

I mentioned this months ago,i feel sorry for all the tree growers out(euca) there,maybe a good time time to buy a macro,sell the stumps,buy giraffes or import some koloas, something to recoup some baht or just sit on it.

The average tree crop in southern australia is something like 15 years to mature.

Hope things work out,but dont sell at a lose unless you have to as again the middle man will overtime take your profits,good luck.

[GungaDin]

I was told that growing Euc really buggered up the land......is that just unfounded rumour.....

True!

[slapout]

I seem to recall that there is a market for the oil from ecu.. Is there a method of extracting the oil at the farm (heat or whatever) and going that way? Corn whiskey, grape wine, cheese, etc were methods used to get past transport problems and low raw product prices in the past. Just a wild thought and maybe not practical at all.

[GungaDin]

Paddy.

Consider this, can you chip the trees into 1" size chips for mulch?

Bags of staining coconut chips sell for 50bt a large bag. Retail.

No choices down here. Coconut chips or nothing.

I'd certainly buy at least 6 bags off you, so there's 300bt!

[PaddyThai]

Thank you Gungadin, that's certainly something to think about for next crop.

[GungaDin]

Where are the Eucs located?

My suggestion is useless if you're too far from a city or distributor.

[andrisdg]

interesting 200 bt a ton , are u sure that info is correct as the thai govt is encouraging the expansion of eucalyptus planting .several months ago it was still around 600 bt at the local consolidater

its posible that after all costs are paid ,plus skimming if u are not there to oversee that 200 is all that is left ,but this depends on how many tree u have per ria in part

in theory at 3x3 metres or 167 /ria after 5/6 years they should cut out at 150 kgs /tree on av using good genetic stock ,preferably imported and the only contract cutting cost i have heard which is 2 years old was 35bt/tree . but then again if they are planted at 1x1 metre and weigh in at av.at 50.kgs to end up with 200bt/ton in the pocket could be good

last year when the consolidaters were paying about 900bt in isaan ,gunns in tasmania were getting $100aud/ton to ship to japan . that was re negiotated to $200aud /ton .so the local price at the consolidaters did not reflect the world commodity price .

then the price started droping in t/land

the consolidater market may have changed but previously they had a two price structure ,little sticks 5/600 bt /t and big sticks 900bt/ton . yet the price they received at the factory was the same for little and big

with a 100 rias and a decent tonnage u may have options ,mechanisation is slowly entering the thia ag ecomonic to supplant a dwindling/aging labor force .the youngees are all of partying in bkk ,so to speak

so what is the situation re harvesting and can the costs be reduced by other options than brush cutters and multiple handling between modes of transport to market by women and children .

can u eliminate the local consolidater ,easier if not family or cousin and do a deal direct with one of the 2 paper mills

i also suspect that there is a 3rd option in that i have seen on the road to bkk double A trucks by passing the paper mills with woodchips mainly but also if i recall correctly sticks on the way to what could be chon buri . so i wonder if the surplus to the mills requirements is being exported to were ever .also seen timber from the south on the road to bkk , going were ,chon buri maybe ?

not sure what u mean by getting to old to reproduce a 2nd harvest , my advise is that 5/7 years is probably the optimum time to harvest re bio mass and that 3 harvests are also optimum . but that is advise from back home . my view is that 8/9 years should not be a problem if there is a problem at all re re growth .

candalumaeus euc from qld is a coppice tree , so while the roots are there and living it will re grow and under 20 years of age vigour should not be a issue

seem local trees cut every 3 years and they come up like a weed , the fact that they were original planted about 15 years ago is not a problem . in 30 years it may be a problem in that old age is catching up

i am no expert , i am learning to but i find that most of the views and advise at village level is just that village folklore based on growing and selling rice locally and to go outside the box is po poohed but that is just like at home the innovater or new idea is trashed but when the other farmers see it work they slowly introduce it into there own farming practises

3x3 spacings was a no no before in my area , 1x1 was the norm ,2x2 is now the norm and in rare casse even a bit more .

you can see it in rubber were i believe the spacings are 7x7 but greed and stupidity still wins out and people are in some instances doing 4x4 and then have no money for upkeep waiting for 6 years to production ,so they start tapping early

be interested to hear your thoughts