I was talking to a local French expat today and he told me that indigo was a much better cash crop than rice. I told him that I thought indigo had been replaced by artificial dyes long ago. He says no, there is a big demand and a very small supply. He also said that black rice was good but his favorite was honey. He exports honey to the EU and the US.

I was talking to a local French expat today and he told me that indigo was a much better cash crop than rice. I told him that I thought indigo had been replaced by artificial dyes long ago. He says no, there is a big demand and a very small supply. He also said that black rice was good but his favorite was honey. He exports honey to the EU and the US.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is fascinating. Is the honey up there good? In the country that I come from the honey is very good and one type is said to have medicinal qualities and exported around the world. A number of years ago a parasite arrived on our shores called the veroa mite ( not sure about spelling ) and has been devistating the honey industry ever since. This has raised the price of good honey substantially. Do you know if there are any of these problems in Thailand?

I know one Thai farmer who has 2,000 hives. The only thing he complains about is the low price the French exporter pays him. LOL!

Apparently pests and disease are not problems here. The French guy says that when the lumyai trees are in bloom is the best time to buy the honey. He says it is the very best in the world.

I know nothing about bees except they sting if you make them angry.

Hmmm, i though about to plant alfalfa (food for my goats) but i didnt because i read that the bees like it to much. Last year i cut banana leaves for my goats and the bees (big black ones) started to fighting me. I still had the "mit" (machete knife) in may hand and in the panic i cut in my left one (6 stitches).

Bees really scare me off, and here you can be killed only by one of them. So o wont do anything that they come to me.

Frankie