Layman To Farmers: Why No Thai Grown Japanese Melon (Sweet Green Melon)?

webworldly · January 23, 2013

Hi :-)

I'm an ignorant layman curious why there are no locally grown "Japanese Melons" (sweet, green / honeydew melon). Instead, the local Thai varieties (Honey World?) bear fruit whose edible part is harder and far less sweet. There's a big difference in price between the two (Japanese = 150 baht / kg, Thai = 59 baht / kg)....which would suggest that if the Japanese variety (or a similarly sweet and soft alternative) could be grown in Thailand, the Thai farmer would be able to generate additional revenue (and profit?).

So.....is the current situation the result of:

it's not possible to grow the sweeter and softer variety in Thailand
it's possible, but the overall economics (growing period, cost to grow, shelf life before spoiling, impact on the soil, etc.) of growing a sweeter and softer variety make it less profitable than the current Thai varieties
it's never been tried because nobody has requested a sweeter and softer variety here in Thailand
it's been done before and there was not enough consumer demand from shoppers in Thailand for a sweeter and softer variety
there's a movie worthy conspiracy whereby the "Melon Mafia" (importers of the Japanese Melons) bribe or intimidate local Thai farmers not to grow a sweeter and softer variety....so that the importers can continue to enjoy their massive profit margins on the Japanese Melons. (OK....I'm mostly kidding about this one.)

Or is the reason something altogether different?

CHEERS!

D

jamescollister · January 24, 2013

OP, really have no idea, but would think that there would need to be a buyer in place before anyone planted. Jim

wimpy · January 24, 2013

I believe the "Japanese" melons you see in the stores here are grown in Thailand.

webworldly · January 24, 2013

Hey Jim....hey wimpy, thank you for your replies. I had never considered that the melons I was inquiring about might be of Thai origin. Great point! I will ask someone at the supermarket.

Thanks again. :-)

CHEERS!

D

wimpy · January 24, 2013

I think I saw a sticker on one of the Japanese melons that had the name of a farm in Thailand?

rice555 · January 24, 2013

Hello All, there was a melon thread on this very subject a couple years back,

I posted a picture of the Japanese melon tag of the melon I bought at The

Mall Korat.

Again it depends the type of melon your talking about, be it smooth or netted,

and if it's picked at forced or full slip(ripe).

This is the farming forum, if you don't like whats in the stores, grow what you

want. I can find 4-5 places in town(Korat) that sale green/orange flesh mellon

seed.

Thailand does export melons to Japan.

rice555

rice555 · January 24, 2013

Hello All, try www.japanmelon.com

rice555

loong · January 24, 2013

I have grown some different melons in Thailand, more failure than success. I don't think that the climate is ideal.

I believe that the best melons are hybrids and the seeds are quite expensive. This could put off a lot of people as simply using the seeds from a bought hybrid will not yield the same fruit as the mother plant.

The best melons need soil with a lot of organic material, they don't seem to do well if grown in poor soil and just adding fertiliser.

I would guess that growing "japanese" melons as a crop requires specialist knowledge and that is why there are so few growers

webworldly · January 25, 2013

Hello All, try www.japanmelon.com

rice555

Thank you to all who replied. I learned a bit about melon growing in Thailand in general (thanks LOONG)......and that "Japanese" Melons in Thailand supermarkets are actually from Thailand farms (thanks WIMPY)....and that the specific melons to which I referred are grown in Thailand by Thai Hydrophonic Co, Ltd. (thanks RICE555).

Oh.....there's one more thing I learned. The farmers on ThaiVisa are smart...and helpful. :-)

CHEERS!

D

klubex99 · February 5, 2013

Just to confirm.

The wife's family wanted me to go into Japanese Melon. There is a very large farm not far from me (20KM) near Modosor University in Korat. The farm is huge, I would say at the minimum 1000 Rai. It has 4 meter tall hedges planted all around it with additional screening. Huge gates with spikes on the top, security cameras and from what I have learned, has it's own nursery and laboratory in there and the whole operation is so hush hush, one may think that they were developing nukes or something.

I have actually managed to steal a peek inside. and have seen the nurseries, they are huge. But one thing is for sure, the owners of that operation appear to have got mega-rich from it, and so are obviously protecting their interests. The farmhouse is nothing short of a country mansion.

Edited February 5, 2013 by klubex99

slapout · February 5, 2013

Now do you really think a Thai would build a mansion, even for a melon foreman who is part of the immediate family.? Watch for the 4X4 with 50 cal. mounted on top and the pack of dobermans, just be careful in scoping the operation out. ........

klubex99 · February 6, 2013

Now do you really think a Thai would build a mansion, even for a melon foreman who is part of the immediate family.? Watch for the 4X4 with 50 cal. mounted on top and the pack of dobermans, just be careful in scoping the operation out. ........

I go over to Modosor on average every 2 weeks. I go to a farang owned restaurant that I like there. I will take my camcorder next time and get some shots to post here. Then you can make up your own mind. I don't have time to come to thaivisa to post BS.

I would say that the owners live in that place, not the family foreman.

I already know Thais who live in a huge mansion. Not farmers, but own a chain of flower shops that they cleverly place outside temples, It's their duty to show off their wealth to everyone else.

slapout · February 6, 2013

Had no intention of accusing you of posting BS at all. Its just that I have gotten to the point of believing less than half of what I see, and substantially less than that, of what I hear.

Your description just reminded me of the orange grove that sets on the Burma border in northern Thailand.that a group bumbled onto a few years back. They professed to be bringing fertilizer overland from Burma for the orchard. This was via backpack on small groups people, and I certainly did not accuse them of BS. Check and see if the melon farm also has a heliport, just for science sake.

rice555 · February 7, 2013

Hello All, is this the place??(see pic), This place was a mile before

you got to the old Korat Immigration in the TOT building.

You can see the greenhouses in the center of the picture. If I'm

correct, this is the farm that supplies Klang Plaza(Crown Plaza).

The head guy use to be seen at Crown by Ya Mo in the produce

dept. every now and then.

rice555

David48 · February 7, 2013

Great OP ... I do like people taking a different tact on what is possible to grow in thailand.

Thanks for bringing this to my attantion.

David48

.

klubex99 · February 7, 2013

Hello All, is this the place??(see pic), This place was a mile before

you got to the old Korat Immigration in the TOT building.

You can see the greenhouses in the center of the picture. If I'm

correct, this is the farm that supplies Klang Plaza(Crown Plaza).

The head guy use to be seen at Crown by Ya Mo in the produce

dept. every now and then.

rice555

Hi Rice555

Naaa, I actually got the university name wrong, it is the Suranaree University of Technology in Modosor.

How I get to it from Cho Ho is go down the bypass and over the overpass towards Pak Thong Chai (The 304), carry on for about 6KM till just past the army camp on the left, then turn into the university road, then about 4KM up there (past Cafe Patini....yummy) to the roundabout at the university entrance and take the first left, then follow the road about 3 KM and there is a turning on the left (after the rubber plantation) with high hedgerows. You can drive down about a KM to the entrance on the left, you will see what I mean.

I tried to locate it on Google maps, but it is a bit difficult to track from the sky and I really only went there once when wifey mom wanted me to look at cultivating the subject fruit.

They grow lots of things on the estate but the Japanese Melon area is a bit like Area 51... They seem overly paranoid, or maybe just very protective of their niche.

I may go there for lunch tomorrow afternoon, so i will take another drive there with my camera. Hope I don't get shot at

@ Slapout.

It's all good, will look to see if I can spot a helipad, if not, I can offer to build one, I already built one on an oil rig (back in the day).

Edit: Wifey found this... It's not the farm in question but a Thai Japanese melon outfit.

Here is their website.

http://alangcity.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-post_18.html

Edited February 7, 2013 by klubex99

konjianghai · February 27, 2013

A farm in Chiang Rai. The owner studied at Maejo University in Chiang Mai. Anyone interested can contact him for help or tips on how to plant the melons. Good luck to you!

http://www.chiangraifocus.com/forums/index.php?topic=369436.0

https://www.facebook.com/ozonefarm

Edited February 27, 2013 by konjianghai