Walisa’s advice to Thai farmers: think, study and cut

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Walisa’s advice to farmers: think, study and cut
PIYAPORN WONGRUANG
THE NATION


Walisa

BANGKOK: -- WALISA SUKCHAROEN graduated school at only Prathom 6 level because her father Son Sukcharoen did not want her to continue studying.

But Walisa loved to study, so she took courses at a non-formal education centre until she managed to graduate at the level of Matthayom 6.

Walisa, a farmer's daughter, then escaped the farm to work in a factory. But it was not long before she realised that farm life was best for her, so she returned to her family's rice fields in Ratchaburi's Photharam district.

Like many other farmers, Walisa - now 34 - followed the family's work habits. With about 3 rai (0.5 hectares) of farmland given to her by her father, Walisa grew rice sprayed with pesticides. And her husband fell sick as a result.

Realising the chemicals were too toxic, Walisa began to change her farming practices after only one try with the toxins. As part of a new generation who has studied agriculture, Walisa joined the village's community enterprise promotion centre, where she had a chance to learn how to grow pesticide-free rice.

And so she started doing so a few years ago, with a good quality yield of the Riceberry variety.

The first year saw Walisa immediately cut almost all farm investment costs, especially those concerning chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

To keep her rice field free of toxins, she makes her own composted fertilisers and pesticides. It has reduced her expenses to only labour costs associated with ploughing and growing rice - less than Bt2,000 per rai.

Walisa grows less rice than her father now, who farms a 20-rai plot he rents from his neighbour. But she can earn more than him because the price of Riceberry rice is far higher, at about Bt50 baht per kilogramme, or around Bt40,000 per rai, compared with Bt7,000 offered in the market for ordinary rice.

Walisa said she understands many farmers may still have to farm rice using chemicals because they have to rush for yields and clear their debts.

If the government wished to help farmers, Walisa said, it need not come up with price-guarantee policies. Instead, it should seriously consider supporting farmers to shoulder production costs, which were truly a heavy burden.

But most importantly, farmers themselves should not desperately wait for help. Walisa believes they are able to help themselves if they can consider their situations, identify what is needed and, just as importantly, what is not.

"If we have a chance to think a little bit, I think we can do it," Walisa said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Walisas-advice-to-farmers-think-study-and-cut-30275335.html


-- The Nation 2015-12-21

[jacky54]

Think, here?

[trogers]

Yes...they do think! About how to get the next handouts...

[futsukayoi]

I have no idea how but the only way to solve the problem of huge numbers of farmers struggling to scrape by is for there to be far less farmers farming larger farms in more capital intensive ways. Growing rice on a small plot will never generate the income level needed for a decent standard of living or staying abreast of the high inflation levels in Thailand. Long term fix but I think better education to open up more alternatives is the only solution. Subsidizing or supporting the farmers kicks the can down the road but nothing more.

[bark]

Think, here?

She is not thinking.

She has just told 200,000 farms how to grow a different type of rice; which will make 40,000 bt/rai compared to 7-8,000 bt.

She get 40,000 bt because there are few farmer doing this type of rice. Next year 20,000 more farmers will change to Riceberry and the price

will go down to 25,000 bt/rai. the year after that there will be 35,000 farmer planting Riceberry, and the price will go down to 10,000 bt.

By the third year, she will be thinking; " Why did I open my big mouth " !!

[mike324]

Think, here?

She is not thinking.

She has just told 200,000 farms how to grow a different type of rice; which will make 40,000 bt/rai compared to 7-8,000 bt.

She get 40,000 bt because there are few farmer doing this type of rice. Next year 20,000 more farmers will change to Riceberry and the price

will go down to 25,000 bt/rai. the year after that there will be 35,000 farmer planting Riceberry, and the price will go down to 10,000 bt.

By the third year, she will be thinking; " Why did I open my big mouth " !!

"organic" rice commands a premium also....

[djayz]

Respect! At least she is trying something different, thinking outside the box and taking a risk which, in her case, paid off.

It sure beats copying everybody else.

Good luck to the woman!

[oneday]

Walisa has achieved so much with so little. Imagine what Walisa could have achieved in life given a world class education. This is the truly sad story in Thailand. There are so many wasted lives that could have gone on to contribute greatly to Thai society if they were given a chance at a world class education or at least a decent education.

[diehard60]

we have been using all natural fertilizers for years now and never spray any pesticides.

[lucky11]

A price guarantee scheme - great idea, just take Abhisit's price guarantee scheme out of the cupboard, dust it down, implement it again and voila!! Things will start improving again for farmers.

Just for those that were unaware, a reporter went to the heart of Thaksinland just prior to Yingluck's 'puppet regime buying their way in and asked the 'rank red' farmers if this scheme had helped them, they begrudgingly replied "yes it had" but Thaksin's scheme is, as he has promised them, is going to be so much better, we are all going to be rich!! We all know how that turned out, don't we.

[Srikcir]

The government "need not come up with price-guarantee policies. Instead, it should seriously consider supporting farmers to shoulder production costs"

Other than timing, there's no difference in these government supports. In both the government creates artificial profits.

Thailand needs to completely revamp the rice growing industry as Japan is now in the process of doing: consolidating small farms into larger, more efficient and productive farms.

[cancan70]

Some one should start by telling the farmers that it is far better to plough the chaff back into the soil, rather than burning it off and causing all the air pollution! If they did this, they wouldn't need all of the fertilizer that cost them so much and causes all kinds of health problems. In the end, the soil would be healthier and so would they.

[seajae]

so a female shows the men how to make a good profit and they ignore her because they refuse to change their ways. If they all started to stop using insecticides and chemical fertilizers the quality would improve and they would all save money but as she states, they simply want fast money and refuse to change their sh*tful ways of farming, instead they want the govt to bail them out when a simple change in the practices they use could turn them around and stop all the crap.

[lucky11]

Some one should start by telling the farmers that it is far better to plough the chaff back into the soil, rather than burning it off and causing all the air pollution! If they did this, they wouldn't need all of the fertilizer that cost them so much and causes all kinds of health problems. In the end, the soil would be healthier and so would they.

Far too sensible an idea for Thailand I'm afraid

[lucky11]

Walisa has achieved so much with so little. Imagine what Walisa could have achieved in life given a world class education. This is the truly sad story in Thailand. There are so many wasted lives that could have gone on to contribute greatly to Thai society if they were given a chance at a world class education or at least a decent education.

Blame that one on her parents.

[farmerjo]

Some one should start by telling the farmers that it is far better to plough the chaff back into the soil, rather than burning it off and causing all the air pollution! If they did this, they wouldn't need all of the fertilizer that cost them so much and causes all kinds of health problems. In the end, the soil would be healthier and so would they.

Far too sensible an idea for Thailand I'm afraid

The burnt ash is actually quite good for the soil and burning every now and then stops disease.

The first thing the government should do is buy back the outdated machinery(ploughs),that way methods have to change.

[willyumiii]

Rice grown without chemicals should sell for more than rice grown with pesticides and chemical fertilizers. It does in most of the world.

Does it get a better price in Thailand as well?