What Else Can An Issan Rice Farmer Grow Besides Rice?

[ozzydom]

Any crop which is reliant on middle men such as agents,millers Govt agencies etc realise a return is fraught with danger.

Because most land holdings are quite small, and seasons are pretty much pre determined ,value adding may be the way forward.

For instance ,corn is an excellent stock feed in all its forms, so why not substitute rice with corn as a crop ,have the corn milled and use as feed to grow pigs cows ,ducks etc for sale direct to the markets.

The return on these, grown with minimal cash outlays for food would I feel give a higher return than rice.

The return on growing and selling 200 ducks p.a. is about 40-50k a year.

ozzy ... how does corn go in rice paddy country ? given that most of it is laden with water for a few months ? i like the concept ..... can expand on that ...

Quite a few people around here plant corn straight after rice harvest,while there is still moisture in the paddy, of course its always easier if water of some description is available.

If growing corn instead of rice simply remove sections of paddy walls and hill the planting rows.

Hilling implements are cheaply available for tractors and iron buffalo,s

[kiniyow]

Truffles they sell for more then Gold

[paz]

Truffles they sell for more then Gold

Not only, but once you can grow truffles on a former rice paddy you can write a book that will sell big. Only second to "how to troll on forums when not having anything to say" perhaps.

[FarmerJoe]

How about Crawfish? (Crawdads/Crayfish) People in Louisiana do it after or with their rice crops are harvested. Doesn't hurt the rice crop. Gives them multiple incomes. And has just about the same weather. I for one would buy lots of them, and I'm sure others would too. Look in the archives and check out some of the postings. I think you'll find a member in there that sells breeders to start with.

Good Luck.

[Trembly]

Hemp or moringa.

Both are highly lucrative cash crops that actually recondition the soil that they grow in rather than deplete it.

90% refined moringa powder (used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals) goes for about USD 1000 a kilo last time I checked.

They're hardy crops that will grow just about anywhere in Thailand, but they do like some moisture to grow at their best.

The marketing for products refined from both are, however, still in the embryonic stages in Thailand and for hemp you need a license. In other words, the bulk buyers of the crops are currently rather scarce.

If you can come up with a way to refine the crop ready for the consumer so that you're your own buyer then you'll be rich.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Trembly

[cooked]

No rain for 8 months a year, no water reserves. Come on you agricultural geniuses, you must be able to think of something.

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What is the geography? Terrain? Any chance of bore water? But it's costly... not sure it will pay off. Definitely not for rice.

Thais unfortunately rarely think out of square box. Just do what the neighbor does...

If climate change predictions are anywhere near correct, it may well be adapt or perish.

Well, let's repeat the small detail about 8 months without water shall we? Thanks for the idea of sinking a borehole I might look into that. The son in law has tried ALL of the above mentioned suggestions. Fertilizer, pesticides and theft made them unprofitable and time consuming.

I imagine that most of the posters on this thread don't have much of an idea about farming up here. I too thought that I was going to revolutionise farming when I moved here.

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[SantiSuk]

I will say this because nobody has said it yet.

You have no farming knowledge whatsoever yet you expect that you can give advice on a difficult matter to people with which you are connected only because of your GF. The communication and cultural obstacles are insurmountable, as you've found yourself. Beside, logic dictates that if there was an easy better alternative, they would have taken it already.

Being practical and a little selfish I would declare it a lost cause and move on to bigger matters, eg, if you really want to be where you are now, what are the medium term progress alternatives for you and your GF, and what is the best way to deal with the support requests coming from her familiy in any case.

Expected to see you as a Newbie with that kind of comment . I get the impression that copycat is the only logic in most Isaan village farming.

[kickstart]

I see Ozzydom and Cooked can see the farming problems, my land is was old rice paddy's ,during the dry season it bone hard ,about 8 months the other 4 ,when it is wet water sits they all the time , making it hard to farm any thing .

I agree get rid of the rice bund's, ,it will also give you more land, maize is a good idea ,always a market to sell , could also look at soya bean , or mung bean, if they is a market to sell, esp mung beans as a second crop it does not like a lot of water, but soya might need a lot of chemicals, or as a guy near me has done rice then mung bean, or again ,market ,sesame seed, as a catch crop before rice, both crops being legumes will help soil fertility

Is cassava an option? popular, or growing grass for seed ,see TV threads on grass seed, or Google Ubon forage seed ,for more information .

My 2 Barts worth.

Yours Regs

KS

[xen]

I have been suggesting to my FIL that he should invest ( or we invest) in a rice milling machine and he processes brown rice and sell in markets in Bangkok or other areas where brown rice is accepted. It seems he won't because the guys who do the rice milling in his area don't like innovation or competition .

[jocsum]

Where I live, 66 Km outside KKC, they grow cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelons, corn, yams, cassava and peanuts. Water is needed of course, except for the peanuts, they need very little each watering. Another fact about peanuts is that it replenishes the nitrogen in the soil where rice eats it up. That is why they are always fertilizing with nitrogen pellets and other stuff.

Just my two satang worth.

[ozzydom]

Most lowland rice paddy is not suited to many other crops in its current form , and requires major restructuring and rehabilitation for other crops to thrive.

The restructuring would take several seasons and lots of toil and cash to accomplish ,so would need Government support in the form of subsidies

Irrigation facilities and on farm water storage would be a neccesity as you would be growing crops during the hot season and resting the land during the wet,

Resting the land does not mean leaving it for the buffalo to feed on and compact but growing a crop such as legumes to help retain soil during the wet and ploughed in to help build soil structure prior to planting the cash crops.

As I sit here watching the macro,s and trucks removing topsoil from the paddies ,sold by the landholders to gain a few baht I tend to think that major changes are a long way off and will take generational and educational changes to occur.

[DavoTheGun]

I will say this because nobody has said it yet.

You have no farming knowledge whatsoever yet you expect that you can give advice on a difficult matter to people with which you are connected only because of your GF. The communication and cultural obstacles are insurmountable, as you've found yourself. Beside, logic dictates that if there was an easy better alternative, they would have taken it already.

Being practical and a little selfish I would declare it a lost cause and move on to bigger matters, eg, if you really want to be where you are now, what are the medium term progress alternatives for you and your GF, and what is the best way to deal with the support requests coming from her familiy in any case.

Who said I have no Farming Knowledge, very presumptive of you! I am Australian, the Farming Centre of the World, Mu brother has one of the largest mixed farms in Aus, where I have spent much time..

[belg]

they are good at growing debts

[binnsy1]

ATM's are always required and everyone loves them exept those who have to care for them

[Loles]

More FALANG son in law ....

[dennisgb45]

I live in Isaan 45 clicks north of Korat and here the farmers grow sugar cane, peppers and corn. My neighbor gets about 4 crops of corn a year. Also tapioca.

[recycler]

Maybe they want to stop farming all together and have you pay the bills ;-)

[choochoo]

they are good at growing debts

this is funnie! now go away.....................lol.

im kidding.

Dirty little secret here. Family farms willl never make it. How does toothless ma and pa compete with billion dollar producers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They cold grow GOLD nuggets and they prolly still lose money!

Edited March 28, 2014 by choochoo

[cooked]

they are good at growing debts

this is funnie! now go away.....................lol.

im kidding.

Dirty little secret here. Family farms willl never make it. How does toothless ma and pa compete with billion dollar producers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They cold grow GOLD nuggets and they prolly still lose money!

I'm afraid that you are correct. Nobody in our village farming under the age of 40, Chinese repossessing land because of unpaid debts, also some dishonest taking over of land without title. Everything seems to indicate that this is the way things are trending, the rice scheme is just one factor in this. We have almost uniquely subsistence farmers around here, only my son in law seems to be ready to really work and try things, so I guess that in 10 - 15 years only old people will be living here, looking after grandchildren, the fields will be worked by immigrants working for the Chinese.

[Doc46]

Why not saffron. Always wondered why not?

Yea,,, Soffron oil, instead of Ephedrine ;;;;; For Yaba;;;;;

[AYJAYDEE]

depends how long the paddies are full of water. some areas are wet for many months. not much else will grow at that time

[tetleythedog]

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You might be better off with this question in the farming sub-forum where farmers in Isaan talk about all kinds of stuff, they even meet regularly

I thought that an Isaan RICE farmer would only grow rice - silly me !

[Doc46]

Why not saffron. Always wondered why not?

Yea ;;;;Saffron Oil;;;;; instead of Epedrine for Yaba

[shaurene]

They could grow corn they do not need a lot of water like rice, potatoes, pumpkin etc

[thaiguzzi]

We are professional rubber farmers, ie our sole income. But, the missus has 14 rai of rice land in her village 10 kms away, shared with her mum and brother. It is crap paddy land, one crop per year, but it DOES feed the three households, ours included, ie we never buy rice, sticky and steamed, and always a few bags left over to sell for a paltry figure at the end. But it never LOSES money, and should'nt. Cost is about 5k in fertiliser, 1k in diesel for the tractor, and about 7-10 days work for the brother on a tractor preparing the soil, and 3 days work for 3 women getting the rice in (throw, not plant). Self sufficient in rice for 3 households is no bad thing, it is not intended to make money. Buying that amount of rice from a shop would be considerably more expensive. Plus in 10 years, the land price is 5-10 times higher than it was 10 years ago, ie 10k per rai in 2004, now 100k per rai on the roadside, and 50k per rai at the back with no access.

[ozzydom]

As a matter of interest Davo, how did they lose the 20,000 baht?

Did it drop out of their pocket accidentally or do you mean they received 20k less than the cost of production for the rice

Rice is a very cheap crop to grow ,so to lose that amount they must have planted at least 10 rai and harvested next to no rice.

Upon reflection ,it sounds a bit like a sick buffalo story.

Break even is about 200kg per rai harvest;

[notmyself]

Up?

[loong]

Up?

What???????

[Zorro46]

20,000 baht of rice is a hell of a lot. .

I would make a two year plan for rearing chickens and maybe pork on the land. Feed them the rice.

Try to exchange some of the rice for the start-up livestock to reduce costs if the rice is that worthless.

The family would have pork from weaners after 8 months for the pigs and 7 weeks from day old chicks for the chickens.

The family would get meat and eggs to sell and for their own consumption, thus reducing their living costs.

I know a lady in Chonburi that had only 200 chickens that gave her an income of 5000 baht for just the eggs, after costs.

They should also create good size vegetable and fruit beds to feed themselves and maybe have some produce to sell at the farm gate.give

I see many Isaan farmers only relying on a solo crop and hope that it will give them the cash they need for the year.

They go off doing part time jobs to supplement their income. Or send their daughter to work haha!

My G F parents only have 7 rai and they only farm sticky rice which is low in value.

I ask why they don't plant Jasmine rice, which is in high demand abroad, but they say it wont grow???

They live off 150 baht a day for everything.

They did have a large pond for catfish, crabs and prawn, but it wasn't near their house and people used to poach from it.

I refuse to support them, but my GF works and sends them some money of her own.

[wolfmanjack]

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Marijuana?

Not as silly as it seems .... Hemp, a great product ...Grow the Low THC Cannabis variety ...Excellent scource of fibre, and possibly a Bio Fuel .. just to name a few uses .... Trouble is so many governments just don't see the benifits .....

thailand does allow the low thc hemp to be grown. You can buy the hemp cloth at the chinese market in chiang mai.