Fruit Farms And Work Permits

[hounddog]

My wife owns some land which we intend to grow fruit on. I will be supplying the money for material costs etc. My brother-in-law (Thai) and I will be doing the physical work to get it going, i.e. building water tanks, laying water pipes and the planting and care of the trees etc.

We will be keeping proper accounts and when the fruit starts earning money, tax will be paid on it but all monies will be going into my wife's account. I haven't a Thai bank account and do not intend to get one. My wife will be basically supporting me and the family in the future.

I do have a non-immigrant B visa but do I need to have a work permit in this case? How does Thai law view this? Anybody have similar endeavours going? Any problems with the law?

[Indo-Siam]

Legally, foreigners cannot engage in farming, or in manual labor. Forget trying to go legal with a work permit.

Assuming that you are putting your own little piece of paradise into a spot "out in the sticks", here is what you should consider.

Before you start working on the land, put up a "san phra phom" - "spirit house" - so that the little woodland sprites that your work dsisplaces will have a safe place to reside - and throw a nice party for the local villagers - lots of beer Chang and beer Thai. Invite the "poo yai bahn" (village chief) from your local moo bahn, and also the moo bahn of bordering villages. Give them each a botle of Mehkong whiskey. Invite the head monk from the local wat to come down to the party and bless your land, and the project (makesure your party kicks off about 11:00 am). Give the wat a nice gift (envelope with 1,000 baht in it).

IMPORTANT: Make sure everybody at the party understands that once your project is finished, you are gonna throw THE REAL PARTY - including inviting a trailer-mounted band, to put on a "lam" - and your're going to give the wat money to put a new roof on the "saal" - or to build a new dormitory for the monks.

Then get on with your work.

When the whole village knows that your success will be their success (and the little woodland sprites are happy in their new house), you should have no problems.

No - this is not a joke. This is the way things really work in rural Thailand. One benefit of this approach is that as you near completion of your project (and they can almost taste your beer in their bellies), all sorts of local village driftwoodwill suddenly appear to help finish up your work .

"Badges (work permits), we don't need no stinking badges (work permits)".

Have fun, and good luck!

Steve

Indo-Siam

[pnustedt]

Welcome Hounddog

I'm in the thro's of doing the same thing - I think you've got great advice from Indo. You'll never get a work permit, I doubt if you'll make enough to support yourself either. You really need to be financially secure and lay back and enjoy it.

One other thing my wife has done (not sure that I approve tho') is loan money to the village chief and holds the deeds to his house - needless to say he is in arrears with his payments. She makes loans to a few residents.

Next year she wants to buy the first combine harvester in the area and the whole village are excited about the prospect. I won't be able to keep my hands off it.

Where are you - want some rice harvested next year?

[KevinN]

Sounds like a real good idea to me as everyone needs a bunch of drunks hanging around to make a real success of any endeavor.

Maybe you could hire a bunch of hookers too and really make an impression on the people.

When I was young and driving truck hauling freight to Alaska from Montana up thru Canada and the Al can hi way,some of the truck drivers brought whiskey from Canada to the sargents at the military bases to insure back loads to the states,of which we received a cut of.

The next day the sargents were hung over and in trouble with their wives, My partner and I gave Canadian bacon and a case of eggs picked up in Canada,the guys were feeling good and we were guaranteed a back load.

Here we set up a sort of give away program to give shoes and coats to the poor children at the school where my wife works and try to do some good for the poor instead of trying to promote the drunken behavior of the parents.

[T0MY]

Old hounddog had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

And on his farm he had a fruit tree, E-I-E-I-O

With a "apples" here and a "orange" there

Here a "fruit" there a "fruit"

Everywhere a "fruit"

Old hounddog had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

when i was young i love to go to fruit farm, well, still do now

[pnustedt]

when i was young i love to go to fruit farm, well, still do now 

Hey Tommy, you're welcome with the rest of the drunks on my farm!

[Aitit]

Houndog and Pnustedt, are you interested in organic farming? Actually you should be, do something good for the environment and I promise your farm will even more prosper than with the chemical stuff. You are welcome to contact me,cheers.

[hounddog]

Thanks for the input guys, useful. I have no delusions about making a great deal of money in this project, just supplementary income for the family and my life here.

Just for interest, we'll be growing Dragon fruit and oranges up north on 20 rai. The Dragon fruit seems it could be a good little earner as my wife's friend has something similiar going. Prolific little growers by all accounts. Anyway, I guess time will tell.

Best wishes to you all.

Aitit:

We'll be using organic fertiliser (chicken droppings) for sure, but what about pest control. Snails seem to be the big problem with Dragon fruit. Any ideas?

[pnustedt]

Houndog and Pnustedt, are you interested in organic farming? Actually you should be, do something good for the environment

Yes Aitit, very interested. Will be using organic fertilisation (tks to all you farangs who are supporting water bufallo up country!)

I have the same concerns as Grounddog regarding pest control tho'. Also, most of the land is next to a river and I am concerned about the annual, apparantly indiscriminent, pesticide spraying on the rice fields a few weeks prior to harvesting. This must mean dioxins getting into the water which will be used for irrigation.

Do you know what these pesticides contain and their likely effects?

[Mobaan]

Houndog ,

I am in the same boat -or working towards it.

I spend 25 years plus working in Ag research and hope that I have not forgotten everything .We are in the upper Isaan (Udon Thani district)

Seems we have are facing the same issues -lets talk

Also PNUSTEDT ,INDO -SIAM AND AITIT pls feel free to contct me ,would love to get together with like minded folk or exchange ideas etc ,etc

I will be back in LOS in Jan .and we will have the spirit house and neighbor party .

My long term dream is not so much to generate income ,but to set up some sort of private homested demonstration project for the neighbor folks to come and look what CAN done -except growing rice . I am convinced that our 20 rai -managed properly can grow enough cash crops and produce enough lifestock(chicen. ducks .rabbits,bees, fish ,cows ) to amply provide for the entire big family.Of course everybody will have to pitch in working ,NO WORK -NO EAT -IT IS THAT SIMPLE.

This is pretty much in line with some of HM the kings homestead programs.

Has anybody any website contacts about HM project???

Love to hear from you Mobaan

[parryhandy]

Houndog ,

I am in the same boat -or working towards it.

I spend 25 years plus working in Ag research and hope that I have not forgotten everything .We are in the upper Isaan (Udon Thani district)

Seems we have are facing the same issues -lets talk

Also PNUSTEDT ,INDO -SIAM AND AITIT pls feel free to contct me ,would love to get together with like minded folk or exchange ideas etc ,etc

I will be back in LOS in Jan .and we will have the spirit house and neighbor party .

My long term dream is not so much to generate income ,but to set up some sort of private homested demonstration project for the neighbor folks to come and look what CAN done -except growing rice . I am convinced that our 20 rai -managed properly can grow enough cash crops and produce enough lifestock(chicen. ducks .rabbits,bees, fish ,cows ) to amply provide for the entire big family.Of course everybody will have to pitch in working ,NO WORK -NO EAT -IT IS THAT SIMPLE.

This is pretty much in line with some of HM the kings homestead programs.

Has anybody any website contacts about HM project???

Love to hear from you Mobaan

Wish you luck but your visions come across as very patronising.If you think the people will be interested in growing these crops for no money then you are living in cloud cuckoo land.They will show enthusiam to a point but only because you are a farang and will be spending money at some stage.Sorry if this sounds negative but its the truth.Youll find they know a ###### site more about what can and cant be grown than you think.

[pnustedt]

Youll find they know a ###### site more about what can and cant be grown than you think.

That's true, and I enjoy learning from them.

However, it's not just about knowing what and how to grow. Most villagers in Isaan are subsistence farmers and don't have the means to market their produce. My "family" are 18 kilometres from the nearest sizeable market - they now have access to it because they have trucks. This allows them to think differently and explore different crops.

Yes, maybe they do see a farang and think "money" and who can blame them. Money is enabling them to pursue their dreams as well as me - I believe that it is being well invested and not squandered!

[Aitit]

Hi Gents, had my day off yesterday, happy to see that many are intersested in organic farming, but we are OFF TOPIC !

Lets start a new thread, but I'm to busy today to provide you with the information I want, the organic farming method I want to introduce to you is called EM-Kyusei Nature Farming. It was developed in Japan and practised in Thailand for at least 15 years, so it's no farang patronising thing, we have to learn from the nature and from those practising natural farming.

EM( Effective Microorganisms) is now used in about 160 country's and has the support of His Majesty the King and Queen Sirikit !

Either one of you or me start a new thread, monday I'll give you more info's.

Cheers for now

[Mobaan]

No work-No eat

Sorry I was not specific enough. Most certainly this is all about money -to enable the entire family to earn a living (eating and cash) from farming.

No work-no eat applies to family members who chose to be part of the scheme-thats were I draw the line -patronizing or not.

The subsistance farmers may know a number of things they do not let out rigth away-but what do they know about world wide niche markets ??( eg culinary herbs for export to the EU etc ?).

There are not big surprizes with the mainstrean crops -when some one has cucumbers -everybody has cucumbers--UNLESS I can have them at a time of the year when nobody else has them.

Agai the question -does anybody have any lead to websites concerning HM the Kings homestead projects in Thailand??

[rabkk]

See the middle of the speech: http://kanchanapisek.or.th/speeches/1998/1204.en.html

[Kaveman]

Hi Mobaan,

I was reading the interesting back and forths and have picked up some good tips from all.

I just did a search for "agriculture Thailand His Magesty farm"

came up with quite a bit, but check this url...

http://www.ldd.go.th/EFiles_html/main%20page/Ea0300.htm

Probably not much help but it is what you asked about?

Rgds,

Kaveman

[Mobaan]

Thanks rabkk I found my connection to the Royal Development Board

Mobaan

[Mobaan]

Kaveman ,thnaks also to you for the efford of finding a connection.

Am still in the States ,working my tail off to be able to come back to LOS next month -so my time on the net is a bit limited

Mobaan