Where can I get professional assistance with Lumyai Farming

[connda]

I'm tired of losing money!

After 4 years of pathetic lumyai crops, this year my wife has been following the "advice" of a so-called "successful" Lumyai Farmer in our village. We've fertilized, trimmed, applied hormones, and watered as this "successful" farmer suggested. I've just walked the orchards and we probably have less fruit than last year and none of it is any bigger than before. We're going to lose money again.

In other countries, I know there are programs both through the government and universities to assist farmers to increase yields and become profitable.

Where in Thailand can I find programs like these. We can't continue like this. We desperately need professional help. I'm pleading here. I'm on a limited income, I pay the operating costs, and I'm bleeding money. Somehow we have to turn this around in the next two years. We're going to let about 3/4 of the land go fallow next year, and I want to work on a small sample of trees in order to figure out what we are doing wrong and how to correct it.

Please! I really need help.

[farmerjo]

Dig them up and plant a yearly cash crop.

I had a mate who grew them,every year cost him more in labour and petrol to cut the grass around the trees and irrigation than he made.

After six years he finally gave up,that land now grows cassava and rice.

[gamini]

Lamyai is a hopeless crop because everyone is growing them now. We used to get Bt20 a kilo about 30 years ago. Thats nearly 200 in todays money. Then a few years ago we were lucky to get between Bt6-Bt10, So we cut down all our hundreds of lamyai trees and planted Katorm

[connda]

In addition to crappy luck, we had a fire on our land a couple years back that wiped out about 2/5 of our orchard. That might have been a blessing in disguise.

We're in the process of putting in mango trees in the currently fallow area. We dropped in 400 yesterday and I'm waiting for the delivery of another 300 today. As far as I know, we are the only folks planting a large-ish orchard of mangos in this valley. Our plan is to use some for processing mango products here in the village and sell the rest on the market (we already know buyers -- the buyers are not local which is why the locals probably haven't gone this route before.)

As far as other "cash crops", our land is slightly sloped and then gets progressively steeper. Bananas enhabit the steepest areas and the lumyai and mangoes the less inclined slopes. So -- can't grow rice. Not sure about other crops.

I've read books that have suggested growing grown level plant crops (hemp, strawberries, melons, etc) until the trees block out sufficient sun to maintain the ground level crops. But I'm so new to this and I have so few English resources to help me. I guess I'll make a lot of mistakes along the way. But I'm very open to any constructive suggestions.

[Bluetongue]

Connda

Where are you?. If you are up north then Lamyai is, I believe, a different proposition than in my area of north eastern Chantaburi

I have the same worries as you there does not seem to be professional help available but we have had an official come to our village who gave a talk to everyone, not much good to me as my Thai isn't good enough to follow a technical conversation. We are still making a profit up til last year and are just getting our tress to flower now for a December harvest. My neighbour has just ripped out a whole lot of mango trees

[lxquick]

any largish thai book store carries a farming handbook section. books are in thai languge and look small and flippant but not so, they have good critical concise info. take a look for lam yai, its sure to be around. then you will need an interpretor i guess.

my recommendation would be to slay a few more dozen chinese merchant boat traders on the mekong, sure to boost the price:)

[ttwitt]

can confirm without doubt that Doung Khamoi book shop near/outside the eastern edge of the chaing mai moat 50 meters south of loi kroh road has lamyai handbooks in stock now. brown handbook about 50 pages price 80 baht written in thai.

Edited June 28, 2013 by ttwitt

[requiredinfo]

the brown ones in the stackmore image info. 7 images with the 1234567 link at top at http://imgur.com/r1MT1sL,ZzFz4SG,8QeckCr,7y8aM6b,3DFeT1W,Fpl44Yd,pYSsCYQ

Edited July 12, 2013 by requiredinfo

[Packdee]

Longan Center, Maejo University may help you.

http://www.longancenter.mju.ac.th/main/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=2&Itemid=99

Their services are every steps of Lamyai production from soil analysis, consultant, force the trees to flower with Potasium Clorate even pruning the trees.

[Bluetongue]

I've thought a little bit about this, the OP it seems has got what he asked for with the University contact and also the books, there are other internet sources as well a bit of it is grown in Florida and North Queensland but you have to search under Longan.

But forgive me if I digress a bit. I have been observing production of this fruit, into my 5th year now and into my 3rd year as a producer. Firstly I have not observed any grower be completely successful all five years. The timing of every action is made based upon observation of the trees, but the weather also plays a part. So for instance using the Potassium Chlorate or Sodium Chlorate as a precursor to flowering is tricky as to when and how much to put on. Dependent on soil type as much as soil composition in that gravelly sandy soils absorb the chemical much more easily, therefore requiring less than dense sticky soils. However if it rains a lot as I have learned and observed this year the compound is diluted and more has to be put on. Although I have different soil types on different orchards you can imagine this is a pretty steep learning curve. Unless you had a consultant on daily call, their services would be somewhat limited to more general advice I feel. Things like pesticides are perhaps easier, you see a bug eating your leaves or a fungus appearing and you do something about it. Fertiliser has to be applied regularly but again the amount differs according to circumstances.

I walk around my orchards every day looking to see what is happening, I am becoming more comfortable making my own decisions - in consultation with my wife who of course knows a lot more than I do, although not everything even though she wouldn't admit it. I gather the op is doing it more remotely which must be extremely frustrating at least I have a chance to see my mistakes germinate. It is also hard farming with Thais they are too positive one day and too negative the next, I try to smooth it out a bit more in my mind. My profits will obviously be down this year but hopefully not as far as the wife reckons. We will see when the fruit appears. The main problem is lack of consistency I have some trees ready to set fruit and others only just flowering at the very least this will lead to about 3 picking times which will be inefficient and likely to see some fruit go rotten etc.