Floods In Thailand - What Damage To Agriculture?

[Tigs]

I was just hoping some of you knowledgeable chaps from the flood areas could enlighten us (well me I suppose, although I am sure others are interested) as to the damage that the floods have caused to crops and agriculture this year. From a laymans perspective it looks like everything in the affected area would be destroyed, is this the case? although I am unsure what crops are due for harvest. What scale is the destruction on (if any) and what prognosis does that give for a) The farmers and food supply in general in the forthcoming months in Thailand. Sorry if it's a dull question but I am interested and cannot get an understanding from local news as to the extent of the potential problem.

Thanks.

[pnustedt]

In my area the rain has been quite light and there was no real damage this year - that was until yesterday when they decided to open the levies to allow water from other areas onto the land around us. The result is that my rice farm is now under 2 meters of water and we will probably lose our crop, worth about Bt80K - my neighbours are pulling up their chillie plants etc in the hope of replanting, but I regret it will be a forlorn hope.

The same thing happened last year, with the added tragedy of a young man's drowned body being washed up onto our land.

The management of the water flow is carried out by incompetent idiots who have no regard for the disaster they cause and give little or no warning.

[IsaanAussie]

In my area the rain has been quite light and there was no real damage this year - that was until yesterday when they decided to open the levies to allow water from other areas onto the land around us. The result is that my rice farm is now under 2 meters of water and we will probably lose our crop, worth about Bt80K - my neighbours are pulling up their chillie plants etc in the hope of replanting, but I regret it will be a forlorn hope.

The same thing happened last year, with the added tragedy of a young man's drowned body being washed up onto our land.

The management of the water flow is carried out by incompetent idiots who have no regard for the disaster they cause and give little or no warning.

Sorry Mate that is a rotten break. We were lucky that what water was released was prior to the large rainstorms we had so things had a chance to settle first. Our water level only rose a foot as a result. The releases here are often done when a village head goes and asks for help with a water shortage. It never seems to matter about consequential damage to the deep thinking Thais. The same thing used to happen in Bangkok and in Suphan Buri some years back. They either hold the water back to keep Bangkok drier since they installed that bathplug of an airport, or they wait until the amount of water is vast and must cause damage. I was told once that they communicate between adjacent dams and not must further.

IA

[Tigs]

In my area the rain has been quite light and there was no real damage this year - that was until yesterday when they decided to open the levies to allow water from other areas onto the land around us. The result is that my rice farm is now under 2 meters of water and we will probably lose our crop, worth about Bt80K - my neighbours are pulling up their chillie plants etc in the hope of replanting, but I regret it will be a forlorn hope.

The same thing happened last year, with the added tragedy of a young man's drowned body being washed up onto our land.

The management of the water flow is carried out by incompetent idiots who have no regard for the disaster they cause and give little or no warning.

Really sorry to hear that, must have been quite a shock to you on both counts, this year and last.

[teletiger]

Pnustedt, maybe you can claim compensation from the government, for the flooding. It won't cover the full cost, but it's something. Our Spring corn crop was badly affected by the early drought. ( ) We applied through our local Togasor (?) bank and got 1200 Baht per Rai compensation.

We are in Korat, near the worst of the floods, but we are in the hills and this land just soaks up anything. But maybe there is damage from the deluge that won't show up until next year.

Part of our garden is left to run wild with flowers. We just chop them down every few months and shake out the seeds and back they come. The latest crop of flowers to come through have been small and spindly. I'm thinking the rain (non-stop since mid July) has leached a lot of the nutrients out of the ground. Our present corn crop is very leafy and tall, but the corn cob size looks average. I'll look at it after the harvest, but I'm pretty sure we'll have to add more than the usual organic material.

Regards.

[pnustedt]

Pnustedt, maybe you can claim compensation from the government, for the flooding. It won't cover the full cost, but it's something. Our Spring corn crop was badly affected by the early drought. ( ) We applied through our local Togasor (?) bank and got 1200 Baht per Rai compensation.

Yes, interestingly we applied for the compensation last year (it was only a few hundred/rai tho) only to find that my wife's niece had beat us to it - she justified her actions because the compensation "was intended to feed the poor Thais, not for wealthy farangs".

[Scott]

Tigs, thanks for posting this topic. I have been searching through the site and wondering the same thing. In the short term, I wonder how it is going to affect the fruit and vegetable prices. Not only from the flooding, but also from the lack of transportation for what hasn't been destroyed.

Long term, I wonder what percent of the rice crop has been destroyed and what that is going to do to the price of rice. Much of Asia is dependent on Thai rice exports, so the impact could be quite negative. Since Vietnam has also had some bad flooding (but I don't know how widespread the damage was there), this could have a further knock on effect.

The gov't has been strangely silent on the issue.

[fruity]

Wife just telling me this morning the goverment has announced / estimated that TWO MILLION RAI of rice is / will be ruined nationwide. Sad situation that will surely drive the price of rice for those lucky enough not affected by the floods through the roof?

[Scott]

I was checking the internet and found somewhere that there are 63 million rai of rice in Thailand. 2 million less will likely have an impact, but I don't know if it will be enough to send the price through the roof. I am just guessing, however.

Since Vietnam, another large rice producer, has also experienced flooding, that might have an affect on the supply and price of rice.

I would guess that the gov't would lower the amount allowed for export before it would let the price rise very high in Thailand.

Any other thoughts?

[pnustedt]

The flood waters have subsided on our rice fields now and, surprisingly, there is not that much damage. The rice is still upright, albeit some leaves look somewhat muddy, after about a week underwater. We did plant from new seed by hand this year and the rice is supposed to be a "flood resistant" strain, the crop is also a little late and rice ears only now forming so I guess this all contributed.

[jazzbo]

from Post #5 We applied through our local Togasor (?) bank and got 1200 Baht per Rai compensation... Socialist.

[teletiger]

I prefer the term gregarious there, Jman.

Anyway, better than being an anti-social....ist.

Regards.

[jazzbo]

What happened to the Let the failures fail* style of government ... why bail out farmers who plant crops in a flood zone?

(TT #7854 Financial Crisis)

[IsaanAussie]

What happened to the Let the failures fail* style of government ... why bail out farmers who plant crops in a flood zone?

(TT #7854 Financial Crisis)

That is the most ridiculous statement I have heard for ages. I am hoping it was made in jest, if not you may wish to consider this.

Rice is planted and grown on flooded land. Success or failure can be judged by many criteria, but luck with the weather is hardly a judge of a farmers skill, nor is water deliberately released from dams to control regional water levels anything to do with th farmer who endures the damage.

If such assitance that is afforded was removed and the controls on pricing that are also in place go with it, then I hope for your sake you don't enjoy rice with your meals every day because your food bill is going to go through the roof.

Isaan Aussie

[slapout]

calm down aussie, this is probably one of those city slickers who think chocolate milk comes from brown cows, steers are the bovine equivalent of lady boys and rice paddy is farmland owned by a Irishman.

I used to joke about how unpredictable a Thai with a water hose is, but have grown to fear the Thai on the overflow gates of the dams scattered around, upstream, from the farmland.

[teletiger]

What happened to the Let the failures fail* style of government ... why bail out farmers who plant crops in a flood zone?

(TT #7854 Financial Crisis)

Let me know when they invent fractional reserve farming.

Good to see that itch I planted is still irritating you there Jman.

Regards.

[IsaanAussie]

calm down aussie, this is probably one of those city slickers who think chocolate milk comes from brown cows, steers are the bovine equivalent of lady boys and rice paddy is farmland owned by a Irishman.

I used to joke about how unpredictable a Thai with a water hose is, but have grown to fear the Thai on the overflow gates of the dams scattered around, upstream, from the farmland.

Well slap me down with a feather! Are you serious, brown milk doesnt come from brown cows? My God, Mum lied to me all those years OK.

[jazzbo]

this is probably one of those city slickers who think ...etc. etc. The statement was mostly tongue-in-cheek but was made by someone who made a tidy sum in agricultural marketing in the USA and worked with the Agriculture Ministry in PR China and agricultural co-operatives on Sumatra Indonesia -- but as per the original statement -- can spot a hypocrite when he sees one ...

[jazzbo]

... I would also note that based on his post in the 'Isaan Forum' Kuhn IA -- having multiple previous vocations -- is an arriviste' to farming ... I was working on an account for a USA State-level agricultural marketing board 35+ years ago ... and TT probably then thought laissez faire was some kind of lounge chair.

[gotlost]

Talking with some friends last night from ROI-ET. Rice last year at this time15 baht a kilo. At the moment 17 baht a kilo.

[IsaanAussie]

... I would also note that based on his post in the 'Isaan Forum' Kuhn IA -- having multiple previous vocations -- is an arriviste' to farming ... I was working on an account for a USA State-level agricultural marketing board 35+ years ago ... and TT probably then thought laissez faire was some kind of lounge chair.

So does that mean that Manual Labor is a Mexican farmer?

[jazzbo]

Sure -- just like the US national anthem starts with: Jose' can you see ...

[IsaanAussie]

I don't know if you are familiar with Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy, but there was one character in the storyline, a robot named Marvin or whatever that once had a line like. "Here I am with a brain the size of a planet, and what do they have me do? Park cars."

Mate you are way above my league, graciously I admit, you win.

[teletiger]

Jman has a brain the size of a planet? There's a Uranus joke in there somewhere, but I couldn't possibly...

Yes Jman, I'll admit it.....I'm a hypocrite. You've outed me. Well done.

Can we get back to our topic now?

Regards.

[jazzbo]

I guess (to use the ag metaphor) it all depends on whose ox is gored ... nonetheless, I wish Godspeed to all those who are impacted by flood conditions whether purely from natural (typhoon) causes or from hapless water management decisions ... in my experience it was with freezes with farmers going sleepless for days on end to ameliorate frost conditions

... and when compared to the guys on the 'Financial Crisis' topic I am not all that smart; just ask them ...

Edited October 31, 2010 by jazzbo