36,000 rice farmers in central Thailand are taking alternative employments due to drought

[webfact]

MOAC: 36,000 rice farmers in central region are taking alternative employments due to drought

BANGKOK, 4 Mar 2015 (NNT) - According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, about 36-thousand rice farmers in the central region are taking substitution jobs offered by the government to compensate revenue loss as they are unable to do off-season farming due to widespread drought.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Chawalit Chukajon said that these farmers are residing in 26 provinces along the Chao Phraya and Mae Klong Rivers which have been denied from irrigation water due to the severe drought.

He also claimed that state projects that are hiring farmers affected by the harsh weather condition are now 50% completed. Mr. Chawalit expected the projects to be concluded by the end of this month. These projects involve canal dredging and water source development.

As for the project to give a fund of 1 million baht to each of the 3,051 drought affected villages in 58 provinces, Mr. Chawalit estimated that the funding would start to be poured into each Tambon in the second week of this month.

Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Petipong Pheungbun Na Ayutthaya, said royal rainmaking will soon be conducted in the North to help control smog and wildfires in the region.

The air contamination level in the area has already exceeded the standard mark by 120 microgram per cubic meter as measured on February 28th. Mr. Petipong claimed the majority of the smog came from Myanmar.

-- NNT 2015-03-04

[Thai at Heart]

Not a 1mn baht village fund. Surely not!!!

[trogers]

Actually, the major cities in Thailand all need extensive landscaping and planting that these farmers are skilled at.

[seajae]

and most of the 1 million baht will go into the head honchos bank account, strangely enough it never seems to make it out to the poorest farmers or those not related/friends of the ones in charge. Will we see members in here having a go at the village leaders in red/yellow areas, I doubt it very much as it doesnt help their cause. What is good is that these farmers are prepared to do other work rather than sit around and do nothing, hope it works out for them

[ezzra]

There are too many rice farmers in this country producing way too mush rice and putting undue

strain on the water resources of their area where they work the land, switch to other crops

or farming methods is the best advise one can give them...

[halloween]

Can only hope it becomes a habit.

[greenchair]

Blaming the burmese again ???

[soalbundy]

alternative employment, selling ya ba

[taff33]

There are too many rice farmers in this country producing way too mush rice and putting undue

strain on the water resources of their area where they work the land, switch to other crops

or farming methods is the best advise one can give them...

I wonder if you can tell the people the best crops to grow that requires little or no water that the Thai farmers can grow and also make a profit?.

[Muhendis]

There are too many rice farmers in this country producing way too mush rice and putting undue

strain on the water resources of their area where they work the land, switch to other crops

or farming methods is the best advise one can give them...

Have you any more specific advice for these farmer like what other crops etc. And also what are your credentials? Do you have an agricultural degree in modern farming in the tropics perhaps?

[willyumiii]

Actually, the major cities in Thailand all need extensive landscaping and planting that these farmers are skilled at.

Landscaping and planting without water?

I do not think so!

[soalbundy]

There are too many rice farmers in this country producing way too mush rice and putting undue

strain on the water resources of their area where they work the land, switch to other crops

or farming methods is the best advise one can give them...

They did switch to other crops,they followed the governments advice,some invested in rubber trees but the price has gone under the floor boards,then they tried sugar cane, guess what happened to the price. Farmers here can never make a decent living,too much competition from poorer Asian countries. They say Thai farmers should be more efficient and use modern methods,where i am in Isaan it's mostly all mechanised because manual Labour has become too expensive but hiring a tractor for plowing and a combine harvester and using fertilizer and insecticides all cost money and then you are offered 6 Baht a kilo for good quality jasmin rice,you can't grow it for that price let alone make a profit so most now have turned to growing rice for their own consumption,let the good people of Bangkok buy rice from Vietnam,India or Cambodia.

[soalbundy]

Actually, the major cities in Thailand all need extensive landscaping and planting that these farmers are skilled at.

Landscaping and planting without water?

I do not think so!

The governments in Europe pay the farmers not to produce so much and they do landscape the area and beautify the countryside,the rolling green fields and hills of Baveria look like axeminster carpets have been laid down,but plenty of rain there, and a mentality which doesn't let people throw rubbish out of their car windows, not a plastic water bottle in sight.

[Thai at Heart]

There are too many rice farmers in this country producing way too mush rice and putting undue

strain on the water resources of their area where they work the land, switch to other crops

or farming methods is the best advise one can give them...

They did switch to other crops,they followed the governments advice,some invested in rubber trees but the price has gone under the floor boards,then they tried sugar cane, guess what happened to the price. Farmers here can never make a decent living,too much competition from poorer Asian countries. They say Thai farmers should be more efficient and use modern methods,where i am in Isaan it's mostly all mechanised because manual Labour has become too expensive but hiring a tractor for plowing and a combine harvester and using fertilizer and insecticides all cost money and then you are offered 6 Baht a kilo for good quality jasmin rice,you can't grow it for that price let alone make a profit so most now have turned to growing rice for their own consumption,let the good people of Bangkok buy rice from Vietnam,India or Cambodia.

The issue is too many guys in between the farmwr and the port. Everyone needs to make 10% which could be in the farmers hand if they reformed the market and allowed more buyers.

[cooked]

There are too many rice farmers in this country producing way too mush rice and putting undue

strain on the water resources of their area where they work the land, switch to other crops

or farming methods is the best advise one can give them...

They did switch to other crops,they followed the governments advice,some invested in rubber trees but the price has gone under the floor boards,then they tried sugar cane, guess what happened to the price. Farmers here can never make a decent living,too much competition from poorer Asian countries. They say Thai farmers should be more efficient and use modern methods,where i am in Isaan it's mostly all mechanised because manual Labour has become too expensive but hiring a tractor for plowing and a combine harvester and using fertilizer and insecticides all cost money and then you are offered 6 Baht a kilo for good quality jasmin rice,you can't grow it for that price let alone make a profit so most now have turned to growing rice for their own consumption,let the good people of Bangkok buy rice from Vietnam,India or Cambodia.

฿6.- ? Blimey we have been getting 12 to 15 over the last three years for jasmin rice. You wanna do a deal?

[soalbundy]

There are too many rice farmers in this country producing way too mush rice and putting undue

strain on the water resources of their area where they work the land, switch to other crops

or farming methods is the best advise one can give them...

They did switch to other crops,they followed the governments advice,some invested in rubber trees but the price has gone under the floor boards,then they tried sugar cane, guess what happened to the price. Farmers here can never make a decent living,too much competition from poorer Asian countries. They say Thai farmers should be more efficient and use modern methods,where i am in Isaan it's mostly all mechanised because manual Labour has become too expensive but hiring a tractor for plowing and a combine harvester and using fertilizer and insecticides all cost money and then you are offered 6 Baht a kilo for good quality jasmin rice,you can't grow it for that price let alone make a profit so most now have turned to growing rice for their own consumption,let the good people of Bangkok buy rice from Vietnam,India or Cambodia.

฿6.- ? Blimey we have been getting 12 to 15 over the last three years for jasmin rice. You wanna do a deal?

Me to, last time we were actually paid for rice at the end of 2012 we got 18 Baht a kilo, end of 2013 we got papers saying the government will pay 20 Baht a kilo, top quality jasmin rice,it's just that we haven't been paid yet,the latest date for payment is now April 2015 but who knows. Since then we haven't planted anything which was lucky when i see what my neighbours are getting, the highest was 11 Baht the lowest 5 Baht, now the farmers are just giving up. They live from rolling over their debt from one year to the next, the harvest pays off the debt and they start borrowing again,pledging the harvest at the end of the year,now they are well and truly fkd.

[maidee]

what about building those water protection gates for the next flood ?

[soalbundy]

what about building those water protection gates for the next flood ?

Too much dust on the water.

[Muhendis]

There are too many rice farmers in this country producing way too mush rice and putting undue

strain on the water resources of their area where they work the land, switch to other crops

or farming methods is the best advise one can give them...

They did switch to other crops,they followed the governments advice,some invested in rubber trees but the price has gone under the floor boards,then they tried sugar cane, guess what happened to the price. Farmers here can never make a decent living,too much competition from poorer Asian countries. They say Thai farmers should be more efficient and use modern methods,where i am in Isaan it's mostly all mechanised because manual Labour has become too expensive but hiring a tractor for plowing and a combine harvester and using fertilizer and insecticides all cost money and then you are offered 6 Baht a kilo for good quality jasmin rice,you can't grow it for that price let alone make a profit so most now have turned to growing rice for their own consumption,let the good people of Bangkok buy rice from Vietnam,India or Cambodia.

The issue is too many guys in between the farmwr and the port. Everyone needs to make 10% which could be in the farmers hand if they reformed the market and allowed more buyers.

I don't know where you get your 10% from.

On a good day at the moment you can get between 10 and 14 Baht/Kilo.

Asda supermarket in the UK is selling own label Jasmine for 94 Baht/Kilo. At the 14 Baht price that's increased the price of one Kilo by slightly over 6.7 times.

The only hope for the poor farmer to make a decent living farming rice is for him/her to get into a cooperative with all the other rice farmers and store, mill, package and ship their product. I think it should then be possible for the farmers to realise more like 25 - 30 Baht/Kilo. Assuming best yield per rai of 0.75 tonne (1 tonne is the theoretical maximum/rai) and an average farm size of 25 rai. The farmers income on a single yearly harvest would be 468,750 - 567,500 baht. Way better than the 262,500 baht maximum at the moment. Of course I have not taken out planting, harvesting and transport costs.

For many farmers half a million baht per year would be a dream because they have only 6 or maybe 10 rai. The figures I have quoted would need to be scaled down for the smaller farms.

The argument that there are too many farmers is, I think a valid one. The future will see small farms being swallowed up to make larger and larger farms. That is what has happened in the rest of the world and I'm sure that is what will happen here.

[Thai at Heart]

There are too many rice farmers in this country producing way too mush rice and putting undue

strain on the water resources of their area where they work the land, switch to other crops

or farming methods is the best advise one can give them...

They did switch to other crops,they followed the governments advice,some invested in rubber trees but the price has gone under the floor boards,then they tried sugar cane, guess what happened to the price. Farmers here can never make a decent living,too much competition from poorer Asian countries. They say Thai farmers should be more efficient and use modern methods,where i am in Isaan it's mostly all mechanised because manual Labour has become too expensive but hiring a tractor for plowing and a combine harvester and using fertilizer and insecticides all cost money and then you are offered 6 Baht a kilo for good quality jasmin rice,you can't grow it for that price let alone make a profit so most now have turned to growing rice for their own consumption,let the good people of Bangkok buy rice from Vietnam,India or Cambodia.

The issue is too many guys in between the farmwr and the port. Everyone needs to make 10% which could be in the farmers hand if they reformed the market and allowed more buyers.

I don't know where you get your 10% from.

On a good day at the moment you can get between 10 and 14 Baht/Kilo.

Asda supermarket in the UK is selling own label Jasmine for 94 Baht/Kilo. At the 14 Baht price that's increased the price of one Kilo by slightly over 6.7 times.

The only hope for the poor farmer to make a decent living farming rice is for him/her to get into a cooperative with all the other rice farmers and store, mill, package and ship their product. I think it should then be possible for the farmers to realise more like 25 - 30 Baht/Kilo. Assuming best yield per rai of 0.75 tonne (1 tonne is the theoretical maximum/rai) and an average farm size of 25 rai. The farmers income on a single yearly harvest would be 468,750 - 567,500 baht. Way better than the 262,500 baht maximum at the moment. Of course I have not taken out planting, harvesting and transport costs.

For many farmers half a million baht per year would be a dream because they have only 6 or maybe 10 rai. The figures I have quoted would need to be scaled down for the smaller farms.

The argument that there are too many farmers is, I think a valid one. The future will see small farms being swallowed up to make larger and larger farms. That is what has happened in the rest of the world and I'm sure that is what will happen here.

Well, shall we start the lesson?

First. 14 baht to the farmer is unprocessed and moist.

That becomes 20 to 24 baht ex factory without margin.

The uk price has VaT included at 20%. So....its nowhere 6 or 7 times, but it is still too much for the middle man. There should be a way to scrape out the supply chain and find 10 baht more for the farmer instead of the middle man.