Angry Thai farmers defy drought warnings, plant dry season rice

[baboon]

You people are playing straight into the hands of the bourgeoisie by directing your scorn at the poorest and most ill educated. People who have been kept deliberately poor and ignorant to satisfy the needs of their overlords. Any poster who considers themselves as working (wo)men in their home countries should find this encouragement to kick the ones below you on the ladder reprehensible.

I really do think that some of you actually would be perfectly happy for these folk to starve because of their actions inconveniencing your lifestyles, which is shameful.

[cookee68]

Why should they listen to anyone, this is Thailand we dont have rules

[jacko45k]

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.

They aren't long rid of opium and you want them to shift to other drugs?

In that respect, enlightened might be misguided, the jury is still out on that one. Nevertheless you are suggesting an illegal harvest.

[JAG]

_{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.

Sounds like a remarkably effective scam to transfer cash from the poorest to the richest!

I wonder what the "incidental expenses " were like during the negotiations to set that one up?

[aussieinthailand]

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.

GAZZPA, I guess that you are unaware of the uses of hemp?, yu'p you can smoke it for recreation, also it is used in medicine, and then there is the textiles industry as well as construction uses, but unfortunately it is people like yourself that are either uninformed or closed minded and feel that you have the right to tell others what they should and shouldn't do in their own lives and the choices they make.

So now with 10 min's of homework on the uses of such diverse crop you now have the opportunity to apologize to louse1953 for you holier than thou judgments.

As for farmers that don't heed the govt then that is their choice but don't b*tch if your crop fails due to lake of water...

[robblok]

You people are playing straight into the hands of the bourgeoisie by directing your scorn at the poorest and most ill educated. People who have been kept deliberately poor and ignorant to satisfy the needs of their overlords. Any poster who considers themselves as working (wo)men in their home countries should find this encouragement to kick the ones below you on the ladder reprehensible.

I really do think that some of you actually would be perfectly happy for these folk to starve because of their actions inconveniencing your lifestyles, which is shameful.

Then donate your wealth to them, its always the same people making decisions how other peoples earnings have to go to the less fortunate but never put their money where their mouth is. Its always easy talking about others peoples money.

I am all for helping the farmers, bu these farmers don't want to be helped. They want to keep doing the same thing, no change and don't take advice. Clearly their business plan is not working so pouring in more money will never help and only keep them dependent and easy to buy next election (guess that is what you want). They should get money but should be forced to change, different crops, different techniques and maybe just a different job.

I am against farming subsidies anywhere not just Thailand and I grew up among farmers. They were always complaining and militant (same the world over just look around how they protest). I don't see why consumers should pay the price for failing businesses because that is what subsidizing and trade barriers do. Making things more expensive for the normal taxpayer to help people go on doing something that is not economical.

So please help the farmers, but not just with a handout but make them change. Just ask yourself why did those farmers never start cooperation's to buy in fertilizers cheaper, to have better equipment that could be shared. It works in other countries, but here farmers are just too set in their ways.

[starky]

You people are playing straight into the hands of the bourgeoisie by directing your scorn at the poorest and most ill educated. People who have been kept deliberately poor and ignorant to satisfy the needs of their overlords. Any poster who considers themselves as working (wo)men in their home countries should find this encouragement to kick the ones below you on the ladder reprehensible.

I really do think that some of you actually would be perfectly happy for these folk to starve because of their actions inconveniencing your lifestyles, which is shameful.

Well said Baboon some comments on here are truly disgraceful. The poorest in Thailand have been held down for generations. No access to real education and <deleted> over by government after government. Yet posters on here want to see them starve, call them idiots and then suggest they just change jobs, learn new skills or plant something else like it's the easiest thing in the world. Especially for a farmer with no money, probably in debt and maybe 4 years of schooling if they were lucky. Shameful.

[robblok]

You people are playing straight into the hands of the bourgeoisie by directing your scorn at the poorest and most ill educated. People who have been kept deliberately poor and ignorant to satisfy the needs of their overlords. Any poster who considers themselves as working (wo)men in their home countries should find this encouragement to kick the ones below you on the ladder reprehensible.

I really do think that some of you actually would be perfectly happy for these folk to starve because of their actions inconveniencing your lifestyles, which is shameful.

Well said Baboon some comments on here are truly disgraceful. The poorest in Thailand have been held down for generations. No access to real education and <deleted> over by government after government. Yet posters on here want to see them starve, call them idiots and then suggest they just change jobs, learn new skills or plant something else like it's the easiest thing in the world. Especially for a farmer with no money, probably in debt and maybe 4 years of schooling if they were lucky. Shameful.

Put your money where your mouth is.. donate your wealth to them. Sorry I won't unless they stop doing things that make no economic sense. Helping them change crops and / or jobs is a good thing (they should get financial support for that).

Alternative is keeping them getting handouts because clearly this does not work. Easier for them of course no obligations handouts all the time. People never like it when they have to change, but when what your doing does not work you have to change instead of letting others pay for your failure. I prefer to help people long term instead of making them dependent on handouts.

I guess you are one of those guys that think they should have kept people mining for coal in the UK without there being any demands and let the taxpayer pay for it because else those poor people have to change. Change is natural, I guess in my job I will have to change too in 10 years and I have to keep up my skills and knowledge. Its no different for other jobs. Why let normal people sort it out for themselves and not farmers.. why because farmers are militant and violent when they don't get what they want.

I actually know of quite a few farmers daughters who do go to uni, there are funds and loans for that. Ever heard of student loans ?

Edited October 6, 2015 by robblok

[Thian]

You people are playing straight into the hands of the bourgeoisie by directing your scorn at the poorest and most ill educated. People who have been kept deliberately poor and ignorant to satisfy the needs of their overlords. Any poster who considers themselves as working (wo)men in their home countries should find this encouragement to kick the ones below you on the ladder reprehensible.

I really do think that some of you actually would be perfectly happy for these folk to starve because of their actions inconveniencing your lifestyles, which is shameful.

Well said Baboon some comments on here are truly disgraceful. The poorest in Thailand have been held down for generations. No access to real education and <deleted> over by government after government. Yet posters on here want to see them starve, call them idiots and then suggest they just change jobs, learn new skills or plant something else like it's the easiest thing in the world. Especially for a farmer with no money, probably in debt and maybe 4 years of schooling if they were lucky. Shameful.

Put your money where your mouth is.. donate your wealth to them. Sorry I won't unless they stop doing things that make no economic sense. Helping them change crops and / or jobs is a good thing (they should get financial support for that).

Alternative is keeping them getting handouts because clearly this does not work. Easier for them of course no obligations handouts all the time. People never like it when they have to change, but when what your doing does not work you have to change instead of letting others pay for your failure. I prefer to help people long term instead of making them dependent on handouts.

I guess you are one of those guys that think they should have kept people mining for coal in the UK without there being any demands and let the taxpayer pay for it because else those poor people have to change. Change is natural, I guess in my job I will have to change too in 10 years and I have to keep up my skills and knowledge. Its no different for other jobs. Why let normal people sort it out for themselves and not farmers.. why because farmers are militant and violent when they don't get what they want.

I actually know of quite a few farmers daughters who do go to uni, there are funds and loans for that. Ever heard of student loans ?

My wife is also a farmers daughter, her mum had to take an extra cleaningjob to let her study in BKK. She did that after cooking for the monks at 4 am.

Now she has a good job but is it fair to let her pay for the ones who made baby's at 16 yo and never went to school?

[Thian]

You people are playing straight into the hands of the bourgeoisie by directing your scorn at the poorest and most ill educated. People who have been kept deliberately poor and ignorant to satisfy the needs of their overlords. Any poster who considers themselves as working (wo)men in their home countries should find this encouragement to kick the ones below you on the ladder reprehensible.

I really do think that some of you actually would be perfectly happy for these folk to starve because of their actions inconveniencing your lifestyles, which is shameful.

Well said Baboon some comments on here are truly disgraceful. The poorest in Thailand have been held down for generations. No access to real education and <deleted> over by government after government. Yet posters on here want to see them starve, call them idiots and then suggest they just change jobs, learn new skills or plant something else like it's the easiest thing in the world. Especially for a farmer with no money, probably in debt and maybe 4 years of schooling if they were lucky. Shameful.

Put your money where your mouth is.. donate your wealth to them. Sorry I won't unless they stop doing things that make no economic sense. Helping them change crops and / or jobs is a good thing (they should get financial support for that).

Alternative is keeping them getting handouts because clearly this does not work. Easier for them of course no obligations handouts all the time. People never like it when they have to change, but when what your doing does not work you have to change instead of letting others pay for your failure. I prefer to help people long term instead of making them dependent on handouts.

I guess you are one of those guys that think they should have kept people mining for coal in the UK without there being any demands and let the taxpayer pay for it because else those poor people have to change. Change is natural, I guess in my job I will have to change too in 10 years and I have to keep up my skills and knowledge. Its no different for other jobs. Why let normal people sort it out for themselves and not farmers.. why because farmers are militant and violent when they don't get what they want.

I actually know of quite a few farmers daughters who do go to uni, there are funds and loans for that. Ever heard of student loans ?

My wife is also a farmers daughter, her mum had to take an extra cleaningjob to let her study in BKK. She did that after cooking for the monks at 4 am.

Now she has a good job but is it fair to let her pay for the ones who made baby's at 16 yo and never went to school?

[billd766]

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

What an ignorant and abusive statement to make.

What other skills do rural farmers have, bearing in mind that most are middle aged or older and probably HAD to leave school early to help their parents out.

You probably had a far better education than they had and a far larger choice of careers back where you came from.

Don't knock Thai farmers until you have planted 100 rai of rice with your own hands and then you may understand a small part of their life.

[speedtripler]

You people are playing straight into the hands of the bourgeoisie by directing your scorn at the poorest and most ill educated. People who have been kept deliberately poor and ignorant to satisfy the needs of their overlords. Any poster who considers themselves as working (wo)men in their home countries should find this encouragement to kick the ones below you on the ladder reprehensible.

I really do think that some of you actually would be perfectly happy for these folk to starve because of their actions inconveniencing your lifestyles, which is shameful.

Well said Baboon some comments on here are truly disgraceful. The poorest in Thailand have been held down for generations. No access to real education and <deleted> over by government after government. Yet posters on here want to see them starve, call them idiots and then suggest they just change jobs, learn new skills or plant something else like it's the easiest thing in the world. Especially for a farmer with no money, probably in debt and maybe 4 years of schooling if they were lucky. Shameful.

Put your money where your mouth is.. donate your wealth to them. Sorry I won't unless they stop doing things that make no economic sense. Helping them change crops and / or jobs is a good thing (they should get financial support for that).

Alternative is keeping them getting handouts because clearly this does not work. Easier for them of course no obligations handouts all the time. People never like it when they have to change, but when what your doing does not work you have to change instead of letting others pay for your failure. I prefer to help people long term instead of making them dependent on handouts.

I guess you are one of those guys that think they should have kept people mining for coal in the UK without there being any demands and let the taxpayer pay for it because else those poor people have to change. Change is natural, I guess in my job I will have to change too in 10 years and I have to keep up my skills and knowledge. Its no different for other jobs. Why let normal people sort it out for themselves and not farmers.. why because farmers are militant and violent when they don't get what they want.

I actually know of quite a few farmers daughters who do go to uni, there are funds and loans for that. Ever heard of student loans ?

My wife is also a farmers daughter, her mum had to take an extra cleaningjob to let her study in BKK. She did that after cooking for the monks at 4 am.

Now she has a good job but is it fair to let her pay for the ones who made baby's at 16 yo and never went to school?

Teenage pregnancy is a bit off topic on this thread....

Yes, it's another huge problem but at least in the West they get social welfare

Here they usually end up as hookers

In Africa they probably starve

But this thread is about what to do with stubborn farmers, I would offer them the alternatives and if they refuse, offer them nothing and let them deal with the loansharks who are selling food and water when it all goes "pete tong"

[billd766]

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 that's 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?

How can they change their crops without the money to pay for it in the first place?

[robblok]

You people are playing straight into the hands of the bourgeoisie by directing your scorn at the poorest and most ill educated. People who have been kept deliberately poor and ignorant to satisfy the needs of their overlords. Any poster who considers themselves as working (wo)men in their home countries should find this encouragement to kick the ones below you on the ladder reprehensible.

I really do think that some of you actually would be perfectly happy for these folk to starve because of their actions inconveniencing your lifestyles, which is shameful.

Well said Baboon some comments on here are truly disgraceful. The poorest in Thailand have been held down for generations. No access to real education and <deleted> over by government after government. Yet posters on here want to see them starve, call them idiots and then suggest they just change jobs, learn new skills or plant something else like it's the easiest thing in the world. Especially for a farmer with no money, probably in debt and maybe 4 years of schooling if they were lucky. Shameful.

Put your money where your mouth is.. donate your wealth to them. Sorry I won't unless they stop doing things that make no economic sense. Helping them change crops and / or jobs is a good thing (they should get financial support for that).

Alternative is keeping them getting handouts because clearly this does not work. Easier for them of course no obligations handouts all the time. People never like it when they have to change, but when what your doing does not work you have to change instead of letting others pay for your failure. I prefer to help people long term instead of making them dependent on handouts.

I guess you are one of those guys that think they should have kept people mining for coal in the UK without there being any demands and let the taxpayer pay for it because else those poor people have to change. Change is natural, I guess in my job I will have to change too in 10 years and I have to keep up my skills and knowledge. Its no different for other jobs. Why let normal people sort it out for themselves and not farmers.. why because farmers are militant and violent when they don't get what they want.

I actually know of quite a few farmers daughters who do go to uni, there are funds and loans for that. Ever heard of student loans ?

My wife is also a farmers daughter, her mum had to take an extra cleaningjob to let her study in BKK. She did that after cooking for the monks at 4 am.

Now she has a good job but is it fair to let her pay for the ones who made baby's at 16 yo and never went to school?

That is my whole point, why should ordinary people pay for those that don't want to change but want handouts all the time. In Thailand its either the rice farmers, rubber farmers, palm oil farmers who all want a handout. I haven't seen any other group of people doing the same thing here.

I have no problems with financial aid for farmers but it should be geared at changing them not keeping them doing something that is just not working.

[robblok]

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 that's 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?

How can they change their crops without the money to pay for it in the first place?

They should receive help from the government, by helping them change into something that works you keep them from getting dependent on handouts.

It won't be easy but change never is, but the alternative is giving them handouts all the time. I have yet to see an other group wanting more handouts as farmers (rice / rubber / palm oil they are all standing in line for a handout all the time)

[billd766]

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 that's 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?

How can they change their crops without the money to pay for it in the first place?

They should receive help from the government, by helping them change into something that works you keep them from getting dependent on handouts.

It won't be easy but change never is, but the alternative is giving them handouts all the time. I have yet to see an other group wanting more handouts as farmers (rice / rubber / palm oil they are all standing in line for a handout all the time)

That would be a good thing to do but trying to explain it will be hard to do and actually implementing it will be harder. Rural people tend not to trust the government and probably wouldn't take much notice of a younger "expert" either.

The first priority has to be identifying which crop and the market for it. It needs to be a fairly quick crop to grow and easy to market that doesn't need anything like the amount of water and fertiliser that the rice crop needs.

[robblok]

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 that's 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?

How can they change their crops without the money to pay for it in the first place?

They should receive help from the government, by helping them change into something that works you keep them from getting dependent on handouts.

It won't be easy but change never is, but the alternative is giving them handouts all the time. I have yet to see an other group wanting more handouts as farmers (rice / rubber / palm oil they are all standing in line for a handout all the time)

That would be a good thing to do but trying to explain it will be hard to do and actually implementing it will be harder. Rural people tend not to trust the government and probably wouldn't take much notice of a younger "expert" either.

The first priority has to be identifying which crop and the market for it. It needs to be a fairly quick crop to grow and easy to market that doesn't need anything like the amount of water and fertiliser that the rice crop needs.

Change never is easy, but the alternative is to keep giving handouts all the time and at election the farmers vote for whoever promises the most handouts. That means you keep having people do something unproductive and will never be able to make money to support themselves. You keep them then dependent on the handouts, and its not just the small farmers that benefit from the handouts, I am sure the big players love the higher prices and push for them hard too. While the big players should not get it, just the poor.

[FritsSikkink]

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

What an ignorant and abusive statement to make.

What other skills do rural farmers have, bearing in mind that most are middle aged or older and probably HAD to leave school early to help their parents out.

You probably had a far better education than they had and a far larger choice of careers back where you came from.

Don't knock Thai farmers until you have planted 100 rai of rice with your own hands and then you may understand a small part of their life.

if you are a farmer ans rice doesn't work for you, start farming something else.

[speedtripler]

I hope the 'defiant' farmers are ready to defy the dry season and lack of irrigation water..

They will defy the law and storm on bkk... That's what they mean by defiant I think

[billd766]

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

What an ignorant and abusive statement to make.

What other skills do rural farmers have, bearing in mind that most are middle aged or older and probably HAD to leave school early to help their parents out.

You probably had a far better education than they had and a far larger choice of careers back where you came from.

Don't knock Thai farmers until you have planted 100 rai of rice with your own hands and then you may understand a small part of their life.

if you are a farmer ans rice doesn't work for you, start farming something else.

Where do you get the money from to farm a different crop and what do you and your family live on while waiting for that crop to be harvested and sold?

Edited for bad spelling.

Edited October 6, 2015 by billd766

[speedtripler]

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

What an ignorant and abusive statement to make.

What other skills do rural farmers have, bearing in mind that most are middle aged or older and probably HAD to leave school early to help their parents out.

You probably had a far better education than they had and a far larger choice of careers back where you came from.

Don't knock Thai farmers until you have planted 100 rai of rice with your own hands and then you may understand a small part of their life.

if you are a farmer ans rice doesn't work for you, start farming something else.

Where do you get the money from to farm a different crop and what do you abd your family live on while waiting for that crop to be harvested and sold?

Where do you get the skills?

Growing a successful alternative crop takes know how and maybe even a few attempts to get it right...

You can't tell someone who been growing rice for 60 years to grow oranges instead lol

I don't know much about farming but I think it's not as easy as just being told to grow a different thing and doing it successfully with minimal instructions or time

What do you eat in the mean time? If they Borrow money to pay the rice and it fails because of lack of water they're fukd and also in very deep debt...

[starky]

You people are playing straight into the hands of the bourgeoisie by directing your scorn at the poorest and most ill educated. People who have been kept deliberately poor and ignorant to satisfy the needs of their overlords. Any poster who considers themselves as working (wo)men in their home countries should find this encouragement to kick the ones below you on the ladder reprehensible.

I really do think that some of you actually would be perfectly happy for these folk to starve because of their actions inconveniencing your lifestyles, which is shameful.

Well said Baboon some comments on here are truly disgraceful. The poorest in Thailand have been held down for generations. No access to real education and <deleted> over by government after government. Yet posters on here want to see them starve, call them idiots and then suggest they just change jobs, learn new skills or plant something else like it's the easiest thing in the world. Especially for a farmer with no money, probably in debt and maybe 4 years of schooling if they were lucky. Shameful.

Put your money where your mouth is.. donate your wealth to them. Sorry I won't unless they stop doing things that make no economic sense. Helping them change crops and / or jobs is a good thing (they should get financial support for that).

Alternative is keeping them getting handouts because clearly this does not work. Easier for them of course no obligations handouts all the time. People never like it when they have to change, but when what your doing does not work you have to change instead of letting others pay for your failure. I prefer to help people long term instead of making them dependent on handouts.

I guess you are one of those guys that think they should have kept people mining for coal in the UK without there being any demands and let the taxpayer pay for it because else those poor people have to change. Change is natural, I guess in my job I will have to change too in 10 years and I have to keep up my skills and knowledge. Its no different for other jobs. Why let normal people sort it out for themselves and not farmers.. why because farmers are militant and violent when they don't get what they want.

I actually know of quite a few farmers daughters who do go to uni, there are funds and loans for that. Ever heard of student loans ?

Such an insipid and ingenuous reponse. Many countries worldwide have to subsidise their farmers. The OECD countries all subsidise their farmers at a percentage of their farm revenue. Places like Australia and New Zealand give as little as 3%. Countries like Switzerland, Norway anf Japan give between 55-65%. The OECD average is 19% of their gross revenue. Between 1995 and 2012 the US spent 32.9 billion subsidising their cotton farmers. The EU spends 58 billion annually. All the OECD countries combined? 258 billion annually. So now tell me about not giving farmers hand outs.So its not my money they need but the governments. If they want them to retrain get new skills or plant something else then a progressive government that really wanted them to move away from subaistence farming would do just that. Coal mining? Doesn't warrant a reply. The farmers daughters? I hope they all go to uni but these days they probably arent the ones doing the farming anyway. Its their parents that need retraining. You know the thousands of poor people of Isaan who can barely read and write. Though when she gets out of uni and needs to pay back all that debt I hope she doesnt end up in 7/11, Tesco or Central with the rest of the "cant fail" uni graduates of Thailand.

http://mobile.abc.net.au/cm/lb/5255578/data/government-subsidies-received-by-farmers-data.jpg

[Thai at Heart]

You people are playing straight into the hands of the bourgeoisie by directing your scorn at the poorest and most ill educated. People who have been kept deliberately poor and ignorant to satisfy the needs of their overlords. Any poster who considers themselves as working (wo)men in their home countries should find this encouragement to kick the ones below you on the ladder reprehensible.

I really do think that some of you actually would be perfectly happy for these folk to starve because of their actions inconveniencing your lifestyles, which is shameful.

Well said Baboon some comments on here are truly disgraceful. The poorest in Thailand have been held down for generations. No access to real education and <deleted> over by government after government. Yet posters on here want to see them starve, call them idiots and then suggest they just change jobs, learn new skills or plant something else like it's the easiest thing in the world. Especially for a farmer with no money, probably in debt and maybe 4 years of schooling if they were lucky. Shameful.

Put your money where your mouth is.. donate your wealth to them. Sorry I won't unless they stop doing things that make no economic sense. Helping them change crops and / or jobs is a good thing (they should get financial support for that).

Alternative is keeping them getting handouts because clearly this does not work. Easier for them of course no obligations handouts all the time. People never like it when they have to change, but when what your doing does not work you have to change instead of letting others pay for your failure. I prefer to help people long term instead of making them dependent on handouts.

I guess you are one of those guys that think they should have kept people mining for coal in the UK without there being any demands and let the taxpayer pay for it because else those poor people have to change. Change is natural, I guess in my job I will have to change too in 10 years and I have to keep up my skills and knowledge. Its no different for other jobs. Why let normal people sort it out for themselves and not farmers.. why because farmers are militant and violent when they don't get what they want.

I actually know of quite a few farmers daughters who do go to uni, there are funds and loans for that. Ever heard of student loans ?

My wife is also a farmers daughter, her mum had to take an extra cleaningjob to let her study in BKK. She did that after cooking for the monks at 4 am.

Now she has a good job but is it fair to let her pay for the ones who made baby's at 16 yo and never went to school?

That is my whole point, why should ordinary people pay for those that don't want to change but want handouts all the time. In Thailand its either the rice farmers, rubber farmers, palm oil farmers who all want a handout. I haven't seen any other group of people doing the same thing here.

I have no problems with financial aid for farmers but it should be geared at changing them not keeping them doing something that is just not working.

Coz in the end the social benefit is higher than not paying them......

[skildpadden]

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).

Yes, coops have been around in Europe for almost 200 years - it is a proven concept but the Thais appears not to embrace that possibility. I am not sure why, could be mistrust of each other or that this way of agriculture is so deeply ingrained that it is very difficult to teach an old dog new tricks?

[Hawk]

I seem to remember that Thailand is, or was, a farming country.

Where will Thailand be without home grown rice, vegetables and fruit?

[Thian]

Now the farmers won't stop growing rice and need handouts, the fishermen won't stop fishing the old way and need handouts.

Last week i was searching for duckbreast because we like to eat it. Villa market sold it last year but now no supermarket had it. Don't they keep ducks on the countryside ?

The Royal projectfarms teach farmers how to grow other crops but if they don't listen or don't trust it then what can you do?

I saw chinese style bbq-pork slices with herbs for sale. In singapore for 2000 baht a kg and in BKK for 1000-1400. It aint that special but chinese all love it. Let them make that. Well i give up, let them make their own plans.

[Thai at Heart]

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).

Yes, coops have been around in Europe for almost 200 years - it is a proven concept but the Thais appears not to embrace that possibility. I am not sure why, could be mistrust of each other or that this way of agriculture is so deeply ingrained that it is very difficult to teach an old dog new tricks?

Say the word cooperative to the agriculture ministry and they start looking for reds under the bed. The exporters and middle men along with the agriculture ministries have actively worked against coops for decades. Note the suspicious deaths of several so called left wing farming activists in the 80s and 90s.

They think coops are the foundations of communism and the Thai Chinese middlemen don't want the farmers to have any leverage on the price. Zip.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Thai at Heart

[FritsSikkink]

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

What an ignorant and abusive statement to make.

What other skills do rural farmers have, bearing in mind that most are middle aged or older and probably HAD to leave school early to help their parents out.

You probably had a far better education than they had and a far larger choice of careers back where you came from.

Don't knock Thai farmers until you have planted 100 rai of rice with your own hands and then you may understand a small part of their life.

if you are a farmer ans rice doesn't work for you, start farming something else.

Where do you get the money from to farm a different crop and what do you and your family live on while waiting for that crop to be harvested and sold?

Edited for bad spelling.

if you are a farmer who can't farm, sell your land and go work somewhere else

[sugarcane24]

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.

I agree that growing marijuana is a stupid idea but growing hemp and for the government (or private investors) to start a hemp processing industry to produce textiles may be the way to go.