1 Rai = 20'000 Month ?

[swissie]

My Thai- neighbour claims that on his 1 Rai of land, he can earn an average of 20'000 Bht a month by planting "niche-crops". Currently he is doing "chilies".

I can't believe it. Can you ?

Thanks & cheers.

[necronx99]

Prik Thai sells at 300 baht a kilo

800 kilo gets you 240000 per year.

If you were a good gardener , knew your market very well and had your own distribution channels I would say yes

[David Peters]

Prik Thai sells at 300 baht a kilo

800 kilo gets you 240000 per year.

If you were a good gardener , knew your market very well and had your own distribution channels I would say yes

Thai farmers always tell you their gross figure. Nett income may well be 5-7,000 baht/month

[somo]

Total rubbish. 24k/month from 1 rai

"niche-crops". Currently he is doing "chilies"

Since when has chilies been "niche"? He's having you on

Next he will want you to invest in a "niche" project he has ready to go

[jamescollister]

Prik Thai sells at 300 baht a kilo

800 kilo gets you 240000 per year.

If you were a good gardener , knew your market very well and had your own distribution channels I would say yes

Wife tells me round here chilli 50 Baht a kilo at the market and prik thai is pepper. Jim

[cooked]

This being Thailand, if you make good money, next year everyone will be doing it and the price will plummet. Labour intensive (as in 'work') crops like pepper are the way to go in Thailand, getting a good crew together is the biggest problem. I have been thinking about Prig Thai myself and it isn't an easy crop to get going or to harvest.

I'm surprised (well maybe I am not) that alternatives to the rice crops as cultivated at present aren't being proposed by the government or NGOs.

[Gary A]

It can be done quite easily as long as you don't get caught. The police frown on growing marijuana or poppies.

[GwenW]

For my opinion I say yes but they just earn only harvest a few month not all year. They just told you gross income and a few month on harvest but what about 2 months when they working on that.

Yes for gross income when harvest chilli but not all the time.

[swissie]

Prik Thai sells at 300 baht a kilo

800 kilo gets you 240000 per year.

If you were a good gardener , knew your market very well and had your own distribution channels I would say yes

Thai farmers always tell you their gross figure. Nett income may well be 5-7,000 baht/month

Yes, must be gross income at best. Otherwise there would be no Taxi-Drivers and Hotel-Maids in Bangkok originating from the Isaan. In the end, it's always a matter of mathematics (if it sounds too good to be true etc,etc.)

So, I think we all are to go and buy a 2-room condo in Pattaya for a mere 1,5 million. (Mathematics do not seem to play a role there.) He He !

Cheers.

[loong]

I would agree with David Peters, your neighbour may be telling the truth, but is stating gross, not net income.

Cost of labour for picking chillies could add a lot to costs.

[RedBullHorn]

I've done Prik Dare Key noo (Mouse shit) and Prik Dare chi far (pointing sky) on my ponds dykes, the total plot size equivalent to 800sqm or half a rai , total 53 plants. Seasonal price vary from month of May onwards, 80-100 THB per kg to the current low of 40-50 THB per kg. The Chilli plants will last between 1.5 - 2 years and are harvested daily even during cold season, on a good blossom 150 - 250 gm can be harvest daily per plant, other average daily collection is about 50-80 gm per plant. You can harvest them daily or twice a week depends on the target size. in my case, it is very good money to support my daily drinking session of 2-3 bottle of lao khao (65 THB/bottle) and cigarettes and yes the plants can bring this kind of "gross income" but will have to deduct variable cost for labourer enmass production only if you doing like 6 - 20 rai... but if you and your partner are doing 1 - 5 rai collecting the produce yourself, then the operation cost will be low to nothing and the income becomes "Nett".

I did it as an experiment and for fun, nothing serious and i stop after the plants had expired and after i went full scale on the expansion of my catfish farm, i had more money to cover my drinking session expenditure.

Edited August 18, 2012 by RedBullHorn

[necronx99]

I've done Prik Dare Key noo (Mouse shit) and Prik Dare chi far (pointing sky) on my ponds dykes, the total plot size equivalent to 800sqm or half a rai , total 53 plants. Seasonal price vary from month of May onwards, 80-100 THB per kg to the current low of 40-50 THB per kg. The Chilli plants will last between 1.5 - 2 years and are harvested daily even during cold season, on a good blossom 150 - 250 gm can be harvest daily per plant, other average daily collection is about 50-80 gm per plant. You can harvest them daily or twice a week depends on the target size. in my case, it is very good money to support my daily drinking session of 2-3 bottle of lao khao (65 THB/bottle) and cigarettes and yes the plants can bring this kind of "gross income" but will have to deduct variable cost for labourer enmass production only if you doing like 6 - 20 rai... but if you and your partner are doing 1 - 5 rai collecting the produce yourself, then the operation cost will be low to nothing and the income becomes "Nett"

You're being had.

Lao Khao is only 55 baht a bottle here.

[RedBullHorn]

I'm am "There" and it cost 60 for 630ml, 65-70 for 750ml... all tax paid with tax sticker across the bottle cap.

"There" - Up North, Chiang Rai.

[necronx99]

I'm am "There" and it cost 60 for 630ml, 65-70 for 750ml... all tax paid with tax sticker across the bottle cap.

"There" - Up North, Chiang Rai.

You're drinking 2-3 750 ml bottles of lao khao a day?

If I did that I would have no idea of where I was....you da man!

[RedBullHorn]

Drinking session = Drinking with friends and neighbours~

I'll be death by the time i hit the 3rd bottle drinking on my own

"Friends" seem to know which house and at what time to turn up for free boost...

Edited August 18, 2012 by RedBullHorn

[Jotham79]

I've got 5 rai of chillies and am averaging about 100kg per rai per month. It is possible to net 220 baht a kilo for Prik Thai (the most expensive type) after paying the pickers for some months as price fluctuates. 22,000 baht gross is doable. The land will be down for atleast a month after transplanting and there is fertilizer, sprays, and and fuel for irrigating. If he and his wife are doing all the labor on 2-3 rai he is definitely making a pretty penny. Please ask what other crops he is doing as Prik Thai doesn't do that well around here.

[swissie]

I've done Prik Dare Key noo (Mouse shit) and Prik Dare chi far (pointing sky) on my ponds dykes, the total plot size equivalent to 800sqm or half a rai , total 53 plants. Seasonal price vary from month of May onwards, 80-100 THB per kg to the current low of 40-50 THB per kg. The Chilli plants will last between 1.5 - 2 years and are harvested daily even during cold season, on a good blossom 150 - 250 gm can be harvest daily per plant, other average daily collection is about 50-80 gm per plant. You can harvest them daily or twice a week depends on the target size. in my case, it is very good money to support my daily drinking session of 2-3 bottle of lao khao (65 THB/bottle) and cigarettes and yes the plants can bring this kind of "gross income" but will have to deduct variable cost for labourer enmass production only if you doing like 6 - 20 rai... but if you and your partner are doing 1 - 5 rai collecting the produce yourself, then the operation cost will be low to nothing and the income becomes "Nett".

I did it as an experiment and for fun, nothing serious and i stop after the plants had expired and after i went full scale on the expansion of my catfish farm, i had more money to cover my drinking session expenditure.

Interesting, because I would only be doing 1 Rai and my wife would supply the labor. (I myself am too old and too lazy to engage in such activities).

But there is a possible drawback. Imagine this: Wife slaves in the garden and Farang-Husband sits on the veranda and sucks up the profit in form of Beer-Chang !!!

If this hits the cover of Newsweek under the headline: "Farang in Thailand re-invents slavery in a third world country" I am cooked. Heaven help me.

Cheers.

[RedBullHorn]

You can also integrate the chillis with makua (Thai egg plant)...It produces like chillis, life span of plant about 2-3 years and also require daily of twice a week harvesting.

Search the topic Makua, good information from Maizefarmer back then...

[cooked]

I've got 5 rai of chillies and am averaging about 100kg per rai per month. It is possible to net 220 baht a kilo for Prik Thai (the most expensive type) after paying the pickers for some months as price fluctuates. 22,000 baht gross is doable. The land will be down for atleast a month after transplanting and there is fertilizer, sprays, and and fuel for irrigating. If he and his wife are doing all the labor on 2-3 rai he is definitely making a pretty penny. Please ask what other crops he is doing as Prik Thai doesn't do that well around here.

Hang on their, sir, Prik Thai isn't chilli as far as I know, explain please.

[loong]

I've got 5 rai of chillies and am averaging about 100kg per rai per month. It is possible to net 220 baht a kilo for Prik Thai (the most expensive type) after paying the pickers for some months as price fluctuates. 22,000 baht gross is doable. The land will be down for atleast a month after transplanting and there is fertilizer, sprays, and and fuel for irrigating. If he and his wife are doing all the labor on 2-3 rai he is definitely making a pretty penny. Please ask what other crops he is doing as Prik Thai doesn't do that well around here.

Hang on their, sir, Prik Thai isn't chilli as far as I know, explain please.

Agreed, Prik Thai is pepper, not chilli. Totally different crop

[Jotham79]

Just so we are all on the same page on Prik Thai:

It grows on a sort of vine and once producing would be very profitable. I got a couple of vines a year or so back and couldn't get them to grow. o one around Petchabun is doing this on a commercial level