Angry Thai farmers defy drought warnings, plant dry season rice

[springheeled jack]

if all these farmer s had boreholes or wells n their land I don't think they would have any problems .

[nahkit]

Oooohu, we farmers, we good at shooting at our feet, we plant, and when we fail, be come to your

cities and besieged your main roads and stage a sit down for months, living in the asphalt,

we farmers, we know best, government should give and give and shut up, we farmers not afraid

the government we have been

like that for generations and we continue to be so, we are the clueless, most hapless farmers

in the world....

In the 30 or so years I've known Thailand I would say that the rice crops are either poor or fail on a fairly regular basis.

I can only think of one occasion during that time when people (yes, people from various walks of life, there weren't just farmers there) have staged a sit-down that lasted for months.

Trying to make it look like farmers do this every time their crops fail is ridiculous.

[rethaier]

Grow Hemp. It is a legal crop

http://www.thaiblognews.com/2015/02/20/thai-cabinet-approves-hemp-farming-thailand-secret-crop-worth-weight/.

[mike324]

Most Thai farmers just blatantly refuse to accept reality and will run their family into the ground and they then will blame the government after the government told them not to grow.Same as not wearing helmets,would rather get fined 10 times than wear a helmet.Haven't even got the brains to not wear a helmet on the highway and just put it on when in town,where the BIB are every day,in the same spot.Would rather hold their hand up to their eyes for an hour than buy 99baht sunnys.This is the Thai mentality and it doesn't look like changing.They only know what is passed on by the oldies who are more than likely,uneducated.A lot more kids are going to uni now and hopefully most of them will come out with some critical thinking.Can't see any of them becoming rice farmers,so the industry is in trouble in another 10-20years.

Only if the kids go to International University, Thai universities are not considered to be "quality" places to learn.

At least kids don't want to be farmers anymore...unlike their stubborn parents.

[Thian]

if all these farmer s had boreholes or wells n their land I don't think they would have any problems .

Or they should build waterpumps who can be powered by a motorcycle, just ride the bike on a stand and let the engine run. Now they use that slow tractor-thing to drive to the land and there connect it to the pump with a belt.

Solarpowered pumps are even much better and not that expensive but hey it takes education to build that and it might get stolen.

Farmers (and thai in general) don't trust eachother much. If they setup coorperations and share equipment/knowledge they could make much more money.

My friend in BKK is a salesmen for fertilizers, he drives a very big new mercedes which of course the farmers pay. Why can't they buy fertilizers from a guy in an old pickuptruck?

The only thing they can think of is coming to BKK and occupy the roads. Well do it, the army is waiting everywhere.

[bangon04]

if all these farmer s had boreholes or wells n their land I don't think they would have any problems .

Or they should build waterpumps who can be powered by a motorcycle, just ride the bike on a stand and let the engine run. Now they use that slow tractor-thing to drive to the land and there connect it to the pump with a belt.

Solarpowered pumps are even much better and not that expensive but hey it takes education to build that and it might get stolen.

Farmers (and thai in general) don't trust eachother much. If they setup coorperations and share equipment/knowledge they could make much more money.

My friend in BKK is a salesmen for fertilizers, he drives a very big new mercedes which of course the farmers pay. Why can't they buy fertilizers from a guy in an old pickuptruck?

The only thing they can think of is coming to BKK and occupy the roads. Well do it, the army is waiting everywhere.

Farmers (and thai in general) don't trust eachother much. If they setup coorperations and share equipment/knowledge they could make much more money.

I recall my school history lesson when we learned about the agricultural revolution when the small holding strip farming methods were gradually replaced by collective and larger more efficient farms. I think it was the 18th century........( the agricultural revolution, not my school lessons).

[robblok]

if all these farmer s had boreholes or wells n their land I don't think they would have any problems .

Or they should build waterpumps who can be powered by a motorcycle, just ride the bike on a stand and let the engine run. Now they use that slow tractor-thing to drive to the land and there connect it to the pump with a belt.

Solarpowered pumps are even much better and not that expensive but hey it takes education to build that and it might get stolen.

Farmers (and thai in general) don't trust eachother much. If they setup coorperations and share equipment/knowledge they could make much more money.

My friend in BKK is a salesmen for fertilizers, he drives a very big new mercedes which of course the farmers pay. Why can't they buy fertilizers from a guy in an old pickuptruck?

The only thing they can think of is coming to BKK and occupy the roads. Well do it, the army is waiting everywhere.

My dad has worked in a fertilizer plant for much of his working life. He could have been the director but turned it down (health problems) and became head of research. They were not rich, but seems the middle men here in Thailand are.

If the farmers were smart they would import their own fertilizer (set up a cooperation) and get it cheaper cut out the middlemen. But it seems farmers just don't want to go that way. They don't want to change things to improve their lot. Just holding up hands and threatening violence seems to be their MO.

[bazza40]

How about legalizing marijuana growing for export to the USA and other enlightened countries? Thai climate should be perfect for such an industry with farmers with minimal land also able to participate. Their earnings would increase 100 or 1000 fold. With a progressive and liberal attitude, Thailand could be a wealthy country in short order.

Enlightened countries, I am not even going to explain to you the dangers of marijuana because it will fall on deaf ears. It is a stupid idea and will never happen, so please just crawl back into your hole and by all means keep puffing away, when you have the memory of a goldfish and the concentration span of a 3 year old then come back and tell me how good your idea is.

Sorry, you are wrong. Countries such as Sweden and Portugal have decriminalised drugs. The end result has been fewer addicts, a lower crime rate because the addicts don't have to steal to finance their habit, and it cuts off the oxygen for drug dealers.

IMHO, all drugs should be legalised. The only caveat I would enter is that drug abuse should not be used as an excuse in court for any crimes committed while under the influence.

Look at it this way. Prohibition in the USA was one of the greatest policy failures ever, and criminal empires were built on the sale of illicit alcohol. Nowadays, the USA spends billions of dollars and incarcerates hundreds of thousands of people with respect to cocaine, ice, heroin etc. and where has it got the authorities or society in general?

Before you jump to any conclusions, I've never even smoked marijuana, and drink alcohol in moderation. It's painfully obvious to anyone with half a brain that the current punitive approaches to drug addiction simply don't work. As a police commissioner in Australia said, we can't arrest our way out of the ice problem.

Aplogies for being off topic - perhaps this should be another thread.

[silent]

"Wassana Gromtu, a farmer from Phitsanulok's Bang Rakam district, sowed her dry season rice crop 15 days earlier, saying she had to disobey the RID warning because this was her only source of income to pay her debts.

"I rent five rai of paddy field for Bt1,000 per one rai of plantation. I have to invest Bt40,000 for seeds, fertiliser, pesticide, herbicide and petrol for water pumps. This is not including the daily expenses. We are farmers, so we have to plant rice as the main source of income," Wassana said.

"We are told to change jobs - to be workers or otherwise plant corn, vegetables or beans instead. This hurt my feelings so much. We are farmers - and furthermore, vegetables do not sell well and are cheap," she said.

"

Something doesn't add up here! If she has 5 rai and her harvest is very good, 800kg to 1000kg a rai and she gets 6000baht/ton.....she will be losing money!

And going by the wifes expenses for growing rice now I think she is telling a porky when she says Bt40k! Tik employs contractors to plow, fertilize, spray weeds, spray hormones and harvest on 20rai and the cost so far is just over Bt50k...but we haven't paid for harvest yet. And we will be lucky to get 800kg because she haven't had enough water. The bottom 4 rai will be less than 500kg/rai. But she will still make money!

I think she invests about 4,000 baht and not 40,000 !! It's only 5 rai, not 50

But she wants the government gives her money so she can buy the last Samsung phone ..or pay for her Toyota Fortuner .

Now we have sugar cane but before we had rice on our 9 rai ;

we never spend so much money on them .

But don't you know you're talking a common sense that many of these people aren't accustomed to after years of tradition and principles. They won't listen to that kind of nonsense, until it's something they think they think of themselves, and then in some way manage to turn it into nonsense without listening.

[silent]

Most Thai farmers just blatantly refuse to accept reality and will run their family into the ground and they then will blame the government after the government told them not to grow.Same as not wearing helmets,would rather get fined 10 times than wear a helmet.Haven't even got the brains to not wear a helmet on the highway and just put it on when in town,where the BIB are every day,in the same spot.Would rather hold their hand up to their eyes for an hour than buy 99baht sunnys.This is the Thai mentality and it doesn't look like changing.They only know what is passed on by the oldies who are more than likely,uneducated.A lot more kids are going to uni now and hopefully most of them will come out with some critical thinking.Can't see any of them becoming rice farmers,so the industry is in trouble in another 10-20years.

I don't think we need worry bout runnin out of farmers here, but this is probably why they're so confused what's right to do and what's not to do. I am.

"Haven't even got the brains to not wear a helmet on the highway".

[elgordo38]

Most Thai farmers just blatantly refuse to accept reality and will run their family into the ground and they then will blame the government after the government told them not to grow.Same as not wearing helmets,would rather get fined 10 times than wear a helmet.Haven't even got the brains to not wear a helmet on the highway and just put it on when in town,where the BIB are every day,in the same spot.Would rather hold their hand up to their eyes for an hour than buy 99baht sunnys.This is the Thai mentality and it doesn't look like changing.They only know what is passed on by the oldies who are more than likely,uneducated.A lot more kids are going to uni now and hopefully most of them will come out with some critical thinking.Can't see any of them becoming rice farmers,so the industry is in trouble in another 10-20years.

Its in trouble now no water. A lot of school teachers have asked their students who would want to become a rice farmer and no hands go up. In the near future we will reach a tipping point where population increases and food production decreases. Thank God at that point I will no longer require food only a few drops of beer on my ashes.

[elgordo38]

if all these farmer s had boreholes or wells n their land I don't think they would have any problems .

Or they should build waterpumps who can be powered by a motorcycle, just ride the bike on a stand and let the engine run. Now they use that slow tractor-thing to drive to the land and there connect it to the pump with a belt.

Solarpowered pumps are even much better and not that expensive but hey it takes education to build that and it might get stolen.

Farmers (and thai in general) don't trust eachother much. If they setup coorperations and share equipment/knowledge they could make much more money.

My friend in BKK is a salesmen for fertilizers, he drives a very big new mercedes which of course the farmers pay. Why can't they buy fertilizers from a guy in an old pickuptruck?

The only thing they can think of is coming to BKK and occupy the roads. Well do it, the army is waiting everywhere.

Farmers (and thai in general) don't trust eachother much. If they setup coorperations and share equipment/knowledge they could make much more money.

I recall my school history lesson when we learned about the agricultural revolution when the small holding strip farming methods were gradually replaced by collective and larger more efficient farms. I think it was the 18th century........( the agricultural revolution, not my school lessons).

Just give it a little time the rich will soon own all of the land and create large farms such as you suggest. The will lower cost of production and like most other businesses world wide hike the selling price up substantially. Its called a monopoly

[dotpoom]

"Officials suggest farmers cultivate fewer water-consuming plants - or change jobs and become labourers".

If a Government put out a statement like that back home they would be committing political suicide, that's a certainty. Let alone would the farmers be up in arms (who consider themselves the "backbone" of our country's economy) but their "ego" would be so badly bruised they would be calling for an immediate election.........and the city folk would be walking around with a right old "grin" on their faces. They think Farmers put on the "poor mouth" on every given occasion.

[billd766]

The whole thing is porkies

The dry season has not started

But the drought is still here and won't get any better until 2017,

[billd766]

"As the dry season approaches, the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) has warned farmers in the Chao Phraya River Basin not to plant the dry season rice crop. They say the available water in the four major dams is not enough for agriculture. Officials suggest farmers cultivate fewer water-consuming plants - or change jobs and become labourers.

Hello, dear RID, it's rainy season now, and many provinces are about to get wet, don't you get it????

But how many of those provinces are feeders for the dams that are critically short of water?

Don't YOU get it? If the rains fall in provinces that don't have rivers feeding the dams then the dam reserves will not increase and there still won't be enough water for the farmers.

[billd766]

if all these farmer s had boreholes or wells n their land I don't think they would have any problems .

But where does the water for the borehole come from and what will they do when it runs out?

[Jonmarleesco]

'Farmers ... have urged the government to come up with concrete policies to help rice growers during the dry season.' With Thai magic, presumably.

'Wassana Gromtu ... had to disobey the RID warning because this was her only source of income to pay her debts.' For which the rice needs to first grow.

'... She said ... farmers ... wanted more substantial subsidies, such as compensation for crop failure or a debt moratorium for farmers.' Of course they do. But surprise, surprise, all cost money; taxpayer's money.

'"We are told to ... plant corn, vegetables or beans instead ... We are farmers ...' Isn't that the whole point of the proposal? But then, vegetables won't attract the subsidies.

[Jonmarleesco]

if all these farmer s had boreholes or wells n their land I don't think they would have any problems .

Or they should build waterpumps who can be powered by a motorcycle, just ride the bike on a stand and let the engine run. Now they use that slow tractor-thing to drive to the land and there connect it to the pump with a belt.

Solarpowered pumps are even much better and not that expensive but hey it takes education to build that and it might get stolen.

Farmers (and thai in general) don't trust eachother much. If they setup coorperations and share equipment/knowledge they could make much more money.

My friend in BKK is a salesmen for fertilizers, he drives a very big new mercedes which of course the farmers pay. Why can't they buy fertilizers from a guy in an old pickuptruck?

The only thing they can think of is coming to BKK and occupy the roads. Well do it, the army is waiting everywhere.

Farmers (and thai in general) don't trust eachother much. If they setup coorperations and share equipment/knowledge they could make much more money.

I recall my school history lesson when we learned about the agricultural revolution when the small holding strip farming methods were gradually replaced by collective and larger more efficient farms. I think it was the 18th century........( the agricultural revolution, not my school lessons).

Just give it a little time the rich will soon own all of the land and create large farms such as you suggest. The will lower cost of production and like most other businesses world wide hike the selling price up substantially. Its called a monopoly

'Its called a monopoly' Given rice is THE crop - one that invited PTP to spend some 600bn THB in shoring up an unsustainable price - hence the tunnel vision-diversifying problem, isn't that the situation already?

[Squeegee]

I am not even going to explain to you the dangers of marijuana because it will fall on deaf ears.

No, it's because you like to wag your tongue but are too lazy (or incapable) to back it up.

[noosard]

What I said was the rice planting at the moment is the wet season planting not the second or third planting for the dry season

Yes I know the wet season has not been good

What was amazing the planting got done here with a little rain, nearly finished and now the water has been released into irrigation canals for something

[GeckosDiving]

"Officials suggest farmers cultivate fewer water-consuming plants - or change jobs and become labourers".

If a Government put out a statement like that back home they would be committing political suicide, that's a certainty. Let alone would the farmers be up in arms (who consider themselves the "backbone" of our country's economy) but their "ego" would be so badly bruised they would be calling for an immediate election.........and the city folk would be walking around with a right old "grin" on their faces. They think Farmers put on the "poor mouth" on every given occasion.

I hear ya there, same with the farmers back in my country.

That's where we get the old saying from,

Why is the ocean salty ? because of all the poor farmers crying on their way over to Hawaii......

[speedtripler]

Oooohu, we farmers, we good at shooting at our feet, we plant, and when we fail, be come to your

cities and besieged your main roads and stage a sit down for months, living in the asphalt,

we farmers, we know best, government should give and give and shut up, we farmers not afraid

the government we have been

like that for generations and we continue to be so, we are the clueless, most hapless farmers

in the world....

The farmers are too stupid to helped, if they refuse to listen to a basically national emergency, then let them Do it their way and when the starving and dying from hunger and drought, withhold the helicopters of aid and remind them how they got into this mess.... They will learn when they ain't eaten for a week or two...

[AGareth2]

that's why they need 2 crops per year

4k per rai rent pa

[FritsSikkink]

idiots, if you can't make money with your business do something else

[26vinny]

You never heard of the medicinal propertys of this plant that when extracted and added too attacks some forms of cancer, for that reason i say it`s a very good idea

How about legalizing marijuana growing for export to the USA and other enlightened countries? Thai climate should be perfect for such an industry with farmers with minimal land also able to participate. Their earnings would increase 100 or 1000 fold. With a progressive and liberal attitude, Thailand could be a wealthy country in short order.

Enlightened countries, I am not even going to explain to you the dangers of marijuana because it will fall on deaf ears. It is a stupid idea and will never happen, so please just crawl back into your hole and by all means keep puffing away, when you have the memory of a goldfish and the concentration span of a 3 year old then come back and tell me how good your idea is.

[nahkit]

if all these farmer s had boreholes or wells n their land I don't think they would have any problems .

Or they should build waterpumps who can be powered by a motorcycle, just ride the bike on a stand and let the engine run. Now they use that slow tractor-thing to drive to the land and there connect it to the pump with a belt.

Solarpowered pumps are even much better and not that expensive but hey it takes education to build that and it might get stolen.

Farmers (and thai in general) don't trust eachother much. If they setup coorperations and share equipment/knowledge they could make much more money.

My friend in BKK is a salesmen for fertilizers, he drives a very big new mercedes which of course the farmers pay. Why can't they buy fertilizers from a guy in an old pickuptruck?

The only thing they can think of is coming to BKK and occupy the roads. Well do it, the army is waiting everywhere.

Farmers (and thai in general) don't trust eachother much. If they setup coorperations and share equipment/knowledge they could make much more money.

I recall my school history lesson when we learned about the agricultural revolution when the small holding strip farming methods were gradually replaced by collective and larger more efficient farms. I think it was the 18th century........( the agricultural revolution, not my school lessons).

Just give it a little time the rich will soon own all of the land and create large farms such as you suggest. The will lower cost of production and like most other businesses world wide hike the selling price up substantially. Its called a monopoly

"Its called a monopoly "

I think the monopoly is already here and has been for a long time, with corporations setting the price for rice, sugar cane, pork and rubber.

[nahkit]

_{The current government started making payments last Octoberof 1,000 baht per rai to registered farmers, up to a maximum of fifteen rai. That would take care of the rent for the woman in the opening piece but I can't help wondering what's needed to register. According to the article I read, only 975 farmers had registered in Phitsanulok province which is where the woman was farming. I'm curious as to why more haven't singed up for it.}

[nithisa78]

Most Thai farmers just blatantly refuse to accept reality and will run their family into the ground and they then will blame the government after the government told them not to grow.Same as not wearing helmets,would rather get fined 10 times than wear a helmet.Haven't even got the brains to not wear a helmet on the highway and just put it on when in town,where the BIB are every day,in the same spot.Would rather hold their hand up to their eyes for an hour than buy 99baht sunnys.This is the Thai mentality and it doesn't look like changing.They only know what is passed on by the oldies who are more than likely,uneducated.A lot more kids are going to uni now and hopefully most of them will come out with some critical thinking.Can't see any of them becoming rice farmers,so the industry is in trouble in another 10-20years.

Only if the kids go to International University, Thai universities are not considered to be "quality" places to learn.

It isn't the University. Its the student.

[Doc46]

Why are the silly farmers not growing crops that don't need so much water in the Dry times ,Farmers in other Countries had to adapt to that policy,,,,Like growing Corn or Sugar cane thats what they had to in North Queensland Australia and in the end they suck with it they making more money,,,Or are the farmers here whinging and whining to get Government assistance(extra money if the rice fails?) It looks like the farmers don't want to change things,,sometimes you have to change to make progress.But is that not the Thai way?

[ib1b4]

_{The current government started making payments last Octoberof 1,000 baht per rai to registered farmers, up to a maximum of fifteen rai. That would take care of the rent for the woman in the opening piece but I can't help wondering what's needed to register. According to the article I read, only 975 farmers had registered in Phitsanulok province which is where the woman was farming. I'm curious as to why more haven't singed up for it.}

I do not know the full details. But registration this year were subject to some new conditions , One of them was the farmer had to get insurance against loss of crop due to flooding ,drought etc, and it had to be a stipulated insurance company, and the company states payment for claims will only be made if crop loss is 100%. So if you have fifteen rai and fourteen rai is destroyed you are ineligible for compensation.