Farming In Chaing Mai

[bsmulligan]

Hi guys,

I have thouroughly enjoyed reading the forum for a long time, I've managed to gain a lot of knowledge and hopefully I will be in a position to reciprocate quite soon.

I was just looking for a bit of advice.

My wife and I are planning to relocate from BKK to Chiang Mai next year and will be purchasing some land (not sure how many rai, but starting on a relatively small scale).

What kind of plants are suitable to grow in CM? Taking into conisideration factors such as climate.

Nothing too strenuous and, therefore, not necessarily the most profitable.

I'd love to hear from people, particularly those with experience of farming in Chiang Mai.

II realise that this is a broad question and not too specific. I'm just interested to hear from others who have done the same thing.

Many thanks in advance.

[WatersEdge]

I just moved from Chiang Mai to Mae Sot,

where I have farmed for three years,

while commuting from Chiang Mai.

In our nearly six years in Chiang Mai,

being a lifelong farmer I just naturally watched the farms there continually.

It's not much different from any other area.

Tropical climate, plenty of rain, good soil.

Even if you have lousy soil,

there's always controlled environment farming,

with hydroponic at the extreme.

No soil, just plants with their roots in the right soup.

You can do this on your Bangkok rooftop.

Since you can add water with irrigation,

and keep water off and bugs out with a greenhouse,

the potential to grow just about anything exists.

But having grown it,

then what do you do with it?

The biggest problems that a typical farmer has is selling his marvelous product.

A few weeks ago I dumped white radish over the bank,

because the price is not worth hauling to town.

While you are still in Bangkok,

arrange with buyers to receive a certain product,

asking them mainly for a list of what months of the year

need what products in short supply.

Right now Tomatoes cannot be bought for any price.

At other times of the year they will be cheap.

Same with Limes, Garlic, Carrot all seasonal.

Arrange to sell value added products

made from bulk seasonal crops in the Chiang Mai area

Let's say those same impossible Tomatoes have a low price season,

when you would buy every tomato available and make tomato sauce.

Arrange a Bangkok shipping dock to receive full large truck shipments of fresh fruit and vegetables,

then buy them in season in Chiang Mai,

shipping to your pre-arranged unloading point in Bangkok

Small pickup trucks run up and down the highway every night,

carrying small loads to Bangkok.

It is not reasonable that 30 small trucks should haul tiny loads meant for one big truck,

so whatever they are hauling must be cheap at the farm and expensive in the city.

I'd recommend to rent / long term lease farm ground rather than buy,

because Chiang Mai land is too expensive to use for farming.

Typically the purchase price is around 100 times the annual rental cost.

There is a large variation in conditions within a short distance in the Chiang Mai area.

Driving 30 km from the middle of the valley floor into the mountains will give completely different temperature ranges.

If you develop market ties while you are still in Bangkok,

you will be ahead of all your neighbors after you move.

[crs]

Like the second poster states, land prices close to CM are going to be dear. Have you checked further out from CM (like around Chiang Dao, for example) for prices/properties? Just wondering how your investigations are going...