Foreigners Cannot Do Farm Work...or Do They?

[Maxxamum]

I have read many of the posts on the prohibition of farangs doing farm work even on their own land. I have read the government restrictions too.

But in actuality, how much do people really do on their own land? Drive their own tractor to plow? Drive their own truck to bring goods to the market or pick up supplies? Use a weed wacker? Water or fertilize? Repair their own tractor, or fix a flat?

Most farm land I have seen is way out off the main path so who is watching for farangs on a tractor?

Anyway, I am just curious as to the actual practice by those who own land.

thanks

Maxxamum

[RedBullHorn]

NOT AGAIN!............

Read through the whole thread - it will put your question into context.

Do All You Farmers Have Work Permits ?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Farmers-Work...hl=Work+Permits

Farming/work Permits, do you need a work permit

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Farming-work...hl=Work+Permits

or you could use the white colum at the bottom left, it's call a search box!

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Might be best if he studied up and learned that farang CANNOT own farmland in Thailand. "Not a square inch of it" ( to quote Chatchai Choonawan )

[Maizefarmer]

Foreigners can't own land - farm, business, residential or otherwise - period (excepting in a very very few situations, and even then within a bunch of rules, restrictions and regulations).

As far as farming goes - one needs to understand, that like the land laws which prevent foreign ownership to prevent forex from distorting national land values, the farming rules and regs are in place to prevent foreign control over national food production. But, what exactly constitutes (in Thai law) a "foreigner farming", or involved in farming?

Is one farming as a foreigner if they work for a Thai registered company e.g. Syngenta is a Thai reg'd company that is a subsidary of a large multinational that employ's ex-pats in Thailand - and owns several thousand rai of Thai farmland (mostly around the Saraburi area).

Look at Thai Danish, the milk producer - a Thai/Danish company - that employs ex-pats and owns farmland (milk production).

Cargill is another example - although they are mostly bulk traders as opposed to land owners (though they do own some farm land)

.... and I can cite a few more. What constitutes a foreigner farming in Thailand is very much defined by how they are employed, who employs them, what their work permitt says, what the legal structure is of the Thai registered company that they work for ect ect ........ these are the issues that define what constitutes a foreigner farning in Thailand.

It is not simply a case that been a foreigner excludes one from farming, or been involved in farming.

The farming rules and reg's are not at all aimed at ex-pats who grow a few rai of veggies, have some chicken houses, a few fish ponds ...... or similar. Go ahead - no one is going to hassle you.

[Beardog]

If it is small scale & you consider it a hobby the man isn't really prone to hunt you down. Unless you really rubbed someone wrong.

Where I live I got to teach 6 guys how to make water go down into a drainage pipe they put in. It was on our 4 &1/2 rai so I had a vested interested in getting it done right. They asked if I could help & I did. You don't always need a work permit if your just enjoying your hobby

[Maizefarmer]

If it is small scale & you consider it a hobby the man isn't really prone to hunt you down. Unless you really rubbed someone wrong.

Where I live I got to teach 6 guys how to make water go down into a drainage pipe they put in. It was on our 4 &1/2 rai so I had a vested interested in getting it done right. They asked if I could help & I did. You don't always need a work permit if your just enjoying your hobby

Correct ....... the restrictions on farming and/or been involved in agriculture really need to be understood in their correct context: there is certainly no intention by legislators (or the rules) to stop ex-pats getting involved in any way along the lines that Beardog has described.

[Penkoprod]

Cant you also do things in a supervisory capacity, or offer "help and guidence"?

Not just for farming, but for most things you have a vested interest in

Penkoprod

[Maizefarmer]

Cant you also do things in a supervisory capacity, or offer "help and guidence"?

Not just for farming, but for most things you have a vested interest in

Penkoprod

Yes .... and that is exactly how many of the ex-pats who are legally employed by Cargill, Syngenta and other big ag type-multinationals Thailand employ foreign staff - they are given work permitts which id their job roles in some or other training and/or consultancy/advisory capacity.

[Gary A]

My wife and I live in a small village. Her nephews normally do the field work with my tractor. If they are too busy and don't have the time, I'll do it myself. If anyone had problems with that, they could probably make problems for me. If anyone wanted to make problems, the locals would likely be hard on the complainers. That would mean that I would not be able to pull their pickup trucks out of the mud during the rainy season or spread a truck load of dirt in their yards.

[Beardog]

If it is small scale & you consider it a hobby the man isn't really prone to hunt you down. Unless you really rubbed someone wrong.

Where I live I got to teach 6 guys how to make water go down into a drainage pipe they put in. It was on our 4 &1/2 rai so I had a vested interested in getting it done right. They asked if I could help & I did. You don't always need a work permit if your just enjoying your hobby

Correct ....... the restrictions on farming and/or been involved in agriculture really need to be understood in their correct context: there is certainly no intention by legislators (or the rules) to stop ex-pats getting involved in any way along the lines that Beardog has described.

Maize thinking back I am pretty sure I learned that from you & have accepted that as my farming bible. I got to give you the credit!

[RedBullHorn]

Second!!! ...Tim's PM put my mind to peace....

[Maxxamum]

Might be best if he studied up and learned that farang CANNOT own farmland in Thailand. "Not a square inch of it" ( to quote Chatchai Choonawan )

I should have been more specific. My wife owns the land when suddenly she came into enough cash working for my American company to buy it. She also bought a new Kubota and a new 15 ton truck with other money she 'earned' working for me. Soon I will sell my American company and live in Thailand full time and being used to being busy, was looking for some guidance on farm activities. Maybe my wife needs a tractor driver or truck driver one day because her uncle is sick. Or maybe after harvest the family asks me to come along one day to clean up the cutting debris. It's that sort of thing.