Thai govt scrambles to address rice price slumps by urging farmers to grow green manure crops

[webfact]

Govt scrambles to address rice price slumps by urging farmers to grow green manure crops

 

BANGKOK, 17 November 2016 (NNT) – The government is scrambling to address the rice price slumps by urging farmers to grow corn and green manure crops. 

Adviser to the Minister of Commerce Natthaphorn Jatusriphitak said two measures will be taken in support of crop rotation. He said the first measure will promote the cultivation of green manure crops on 200,000 rai of land in 19 provinces in the Chao Phraya River Basin. 

Of the targeted area, 50,000 rai will be reserved for producing seedlings. The other 150,000 rai will be where farmers are encouraged to plow their green manure crops over to fertilize the soil from October to May 2016. 

Under the second measure, the Cabinet has assigned the Department of Agricultural Extension to promote the cultivation of field corn on two million rai in 35 provinces with a financial support scheme. The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives will provide loans to the corn growers. 

The projects will be carried out only during summer which will contribute to soil quality for agriculture and farmers will be able to sell their products at higher prices than rice for areas suitable for growing regular-season crops and not extra-season crops. Farmers can now contact officials under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in all branches to ask for more details of the projects. 

The adviser to the Minister of Commerce added that the government is concerned about the farmers and will try to solve their problems with short-term and long-term solutions.

 

-- nnt 2016-11-17

[yellowboat]

It sounds as though agriculture is not well organized.  Are there any other cash crops that can be grown in Thailand ?

[alant]

10 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

It sounds as though agriculture is not well organized.  Are there any other cash crops that can be grown in Thailand ?

The obvious answer to me would be tobacco, cash crop but rather politically incorrect. 

[alant]

whats a green manure crop?

[mikebell]

7 minutes ago, alant said:

whats a green manure crop?

You'll find out after a Green Thai curry.

[Srikcir]

49 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

It sounds as though agriculture is not well organized.  Are there any other cash crops that can be grown in Thailand ?

Yes, they're called cash subsidies.

[Brer Fox]

31 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

It sounds as though agriculture is not well organized.  Are there any other cash crops that can be grown in Thailand ?

"Agriculture not well organised" seems a gross understatement. I think a "shambolic catastrophe" would be a more fitting description. The future for agriculture in Thailand looks bleak while it is being managed by soldiers and insular nerds from academia land.

Subsidies and loans seem to be the government's only answer. Into the future Thai farmers might even be paid to grow nothing just as is done in some other countries.

Don't laugh! Many people within government are already being paid to do nothing. Police in "inactive posts" for example.

 

[ChrisY1]

56 minutes ago, alant said:

The obvious answer to me would be tobacco, cash crop but rather politically incorrect. 

Not at all PC incorrect here in Thailand...given the government owns the tobacco monopoly.

[Eric Loh]

Everyday we hear of new directive from the government to the farmers. Corn, maize etc and now manure crops and the list goes on every time our leader wake up with an idea. It got to be confusing to the farmers. Future for agriculture is indeed bleak with clueless military leaders. They should not have left their barracks.

 

Agree with Brer Fox that subsidies and loans seem the only answer well unless the government adjust their budget to develop the impoverished north and northeast instead of massive lopsided budget to Bangkok. More development and more incentives for investment and re-trainng the farmers in these provinces that can provide alternative opportunities for the farmers as the long term plan.       

[worgeordie]

Do they do crop rotation in Thailand, or is it just Rice,Rice year after year,

Crop rotation has been practiced since the Middle Ages in the West,as

even then they realised different crops take and put different minerals

into the soil,like growing Legumes which put Nitrogen ?,into the soil,

so the next crop benefits.

regards worgeordie

[aussieinthailand]

42 minutes ago, alant said:

The obvious answer to me would be tobacco, cash crop but rather politically incorrect. 

Already plenty of tobaco being grown currently, but also the then there's the health of the people that harvest tobaco, not the answer.

There are plenty of cash crops that can be grown if information and support is given.

eg;   In the supermarket I go too I occasionaly see cauliflower never see broclie, capsicam (bell pepers) occasionally, never see button mushrooms or protabela muushrooms, occasionally see ice-berg lettus and expensive all cash crops.  

Long term crops/ products,   Imported oranges at 70 baht per kg, good quality cheese is expensive, $50 per kg for parmesan cheese, (where the hell are all the cheese makers???) I've never see Kalamata olives, all deli products are expensive, the opertunity is there just no info and support......  

[Kasset Tak]

7 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Do they do crop rotation in Thailand, or is it just Rice,Rice year after year,

Crop rotation has been practiced since the Middle Ages in the West,as

even then they realised different crops take and put different minerals

into the soil,like growing Legumes which put Nitrogen ?,into the soil,

so the next crop benefits.

regards worgeordie

It's mostly just rice, rice and rice...

Actually there are evidence that even the ancient Egyptians used crop rotation already 4-5,000 years ago!

I was a part of a 10 year project about crop rotation here in Thailand but most farmers involved had dropped out by the 3^rd year because they had to work more than if just growing rice or corn. Those that stayed on could show way better profits as most of them used up to 90% less fertilizers and pesticides and still being able to harvest the same amount of grain (some even managed to get more), some farmers had even moved on to organic farming during the 10 years and was using only manure and green fertilizers and fermented herbs instead of chemical pesticides and still they could show way better profits that their neighbors that didn't use crop rotation.

[Brer Fox]

38 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Everyday we hear of new directive from the government to the farmers. Corn, maize etc and now manure crops and the list goes on every time our leader wake up with an idea. It got to be confusing to the farmers. Future for agriculture is indeed bleak with clueless military leaders. They should not have left their barracks.

 

Agree with Brer Fox that subsidies and loans seem the only answer well unless the government adjust their budget to develop the impoverished north and northeast instead of massive lopsided budget to Bangkok. More development and more incentives for investment and re-trainng the farmers in these provinces that can provide alternative opportunities for the farmers as the long term plan.       

 

27 minutes ago, aussieinthailand said:

Already plenty of tobaco being grown currently, but also the then there's the health of the people that harvest tobaco, not the answer.

There are plenty of cash crops that can be grown if information and support is given.

eg;   In the supermarket I go too I occasionaly see cauliflower never see broclie, capsicam (bell pepers) occasionally, never see button mushrooms or protabela muushrooms, occasionally see ice-berg lettus and expensive all cash crops.  

Long term crops/ products,   Imported oranges at 70 baht per kg, good quality cheese is expensive, $50 per kg for parmesan cheese, (where the hell are all the cheese makers???) I've never see Kalamata olives, all deli products are expensive, the opertunity is there just no info and support......  

Thais are usually not famous for thinking outside the square. Very good at copying so I give them a tip for free. This story might give them some confidence.

 

http://vietnamnews.vn/sunday/features/345694/the-young-southern-orange-billionaire.html#q4gz1fLOf0I9Hs25.97

 

If this man can make himself a lot of money with oranges why can't Thai farmers do the same? It is not as if there is much difference in the climate.

[Enoon]

 

The "Wonder Plan" (for what constitutes the majority of agricultural enterprises) was never meant to create a "modern", self sufficient (irony), growth orientated, wealth generating, industry.

 

It was intended to keep people where they were.  Economically, physically and intellectually.  It worked perfectly.

 

Now here they are, with a population that has more than trebled, and with absolutely no way of absorbing the vast, dirt poor, hopeless, rural workforce into what is an underdeveloped (compared to Japan, Taiwan or S. Korea) manufacture/technology based Industrial infrastructure.

 

That's an awful lot of people with nothing to lose.  

 

And people wonder that PTP wins, every time.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 17, 2016 by Enoon

[AgMech Cowboy]

2 hours ago, alant said:

whats a green manure crop?

 

Do you have search website???  Their are many websites available to explain.  However, to get you in the right direction; cereal rye, agricultural mustard, alfalfa and banner fava beans were listed on Mother Earth News.

[williamgeorgeallen]

not much incentive to grow anything else if the government keeps subsidizing rice. maybe cut the subsidize to get them to look at alternatives.

[Jonmarleesco]

A problem that has been evident for years, and now the government is scrambling.

[elgordo38]

5 hours ago, alant said:

whats a green manure crop?

It was a brown manure answer. 

[rickudon]

A lot of rice paddies are located on floodplains. The land floods every wet season. Not a lot you can grow when your field is under water. My Father-in-law has paddy which sometimes doesn't dry out for the entire year. Any suggestions? (the land is remote from the house, fish just get stolen.) Other crops are grown in dry season, if the land can be worked and irrigated. But this has to be done by hand so usually only some areas are worked.

 

I'm sure with massive investment, drainage and irrigation, raising land levels etc. more could be grown but this is entirely beyond the means of most small farmers.

 

Green crops are all very well but still require expenditure and don't feed your family.

 

There are many 'cash' crops, nearly all of them produced in excess of demand in Thailand. 

 

Bell peppers were mentioned - they require cooler conditions to do well, so ok in the North, elsewhere not so easy. I was able to buy them for 49 baht a kilo last week, so no fortunes to be made there.

[alant]

22 hours ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

 

Do you have search website???  Their are many websites available to explain.  However, to get you in the right direction; cereal rye, agricultural mustard, alfalfa and banner fava beans were listed on Mother Earth News.

So I didn't Google it. I really should have know someone on TV would, rather than answer directly, respond with some dig and in the form of a question at that.

Soon I think you will be able to Google "unhelpful response designed to get one over a complete stranger" you will get the result "typical reply to a post on TV"

[billd766]

On 17/11/2016 at 7:59 AM, yellowboat said:

It sounds as though agriculture is not well organized.  Are there any other cash crops that can be grown in Thailand ?

 

The biggest problems with changing crops is to find something that will grow fairly quickly, preferably does not need 3 or 4 layers of "middlemen", has a high profit margin for the farmer, can be stored easily and will grow on the current land available to the farmer, preferably without the heavy use of fertiliser and pesticides and capable of using the current farming tools.

 

If you can get over that then farming is easy.

[billd766]

On 17/11/2016 at 9:27 AM, worgeordie said:

Do they do crop rotation in Thailand, or is it just Rice,Rice year after year,

Crop rotation has been practiced since the Middle Ages in the West,as

even then they realised different crops take and put different minerals

into the soil,like growing Legumes which put Nitrogen ?,into the soil,

so the next crop benefits.

regards worgeordie

 

I was taught that at senior school back in 1958/59.

[Moonmoon]

I got the solution. legalise weed and let the farmers grow and cultivate it. then they can either export it as Thai premium weed to other legal countries or sell it locally for personal consumption and medicinal purposes..

 

Trust me Thailand will be one happy country.

[talisman01]

On 11/17/2016 at 9:57 AM, Brer Fox said:

 

Thais are usually not famous for thinking outside the square. Very good at copying so I give them a tip for free. This story might give them some confidence.

 

http://vietnamnews.vn/sunday/features/345694/the-young-southern-orange-billionaire.html#q4gz1fLOf0I9Hs25.97

 

If this man can make himself a lot of money with oranges why can't Thai farmers do the same? It is not as if there is much difference in the climate.

 

Another good example of a highly successful cash crop this time from Vietnam - which was even featured on uk tv recently - is black pepper farming

 

http://vietnamnews.vn/sunday/features/240518/king-crop-worlds-greatest-pepper-farmer.html#yW4f2kslt1ocwvUh.97

[Brer Fox]

3 hours ago, talisman01 said:

 

Another good example of a highly successful cash crop this time from Vietnam - which was even featured on uk tv recently - is black pepper farming

 

http://vietnamnews.vn/sunday/features/240518/king-crop-worlds-greatest-pepper-farmer.html#yW4f2kslt1ocwvUh.97

Thais are slow learners. They are taught from school age how to do as they are told and not to show initiative. Just follow the crowd and never question anything is their philosophy of life. Sadly time will pass them by.

[Moonmoon]

2 minutes ago, Brer Fox said:

Thais are slow learners. They are taught from school age how to do as they are told and not to show initiative. Just follow the crowd and never question anything is their philosophy of life. Sadly time will pass them by.

Sorry i have to disagree with u. 

 

Not true. there r many successful and rich Thais that I know of. There are examples of many successful young entrepreneurs. 

 

The speed of them catching on and leading new business trends is amazing. 

 

The rice farmer problem does not dictate what the whole of Thai people are. 

[Brer Fox]

14 minutes ago, Moonmoon said:

Sorry i have to disagree with u. 

 

Not true. there r many successful and rich Thais that I know of. There are examples of many successful young entrepreneurs. 

 

The speed of them catching on and leading new business trends is amazing. 

 

The rice farmer problem does not dictate what the whole of Thai people are. 

Please don't apologise for disagreeing with me. I respect your opinion because you take the time to express your own view.

Unlike some other who just sit on this site half sozzled and criticize because that's all they know.

[Denim]

Green manure ? Could pass as a description of the current government.

Edited November 18, 2016 by Denim

[kickstart]

On ‎17‎/‎11‎/‎2559 at 10:33 AM, AgMech Cowboy said:

 

Do you have search website???  Their are many websites available to explain.  However, to get you in the right direction; cereal rye, agricultural mustard, alfalfa and banner fava beans were listed on Mother Earth News.

These are good  crops for  a green manure ,but the seeds are not available in Thailand .

The government says grow a green manure crop in the summer , theses  crops will not grow here then  to hot ,Alfalfa ,might  being a deep rooted grass might do something , rye would not get out the ground , mung beans ,and sun hemp suite Thailand better

As has been said  any green  manure  grown in the summer  will need watering , from February onwards  regularly on Thai  TV, you see  water trucks taking water to villages ,where they water supply has dried up ,if a village has no water ,how are farmers expected to grow crops ,and what small reservoirs/ dams they are will have dry up be then ,if they is water the cost of  pumping it  will out weight any  gains from the green manure .

Over in the Farming form ,Maize and rotational crops  Farmerjo  has done it with sunn hemp ,it dose work here in LOS .

Also  rice fields are designed to keep water in ,to grow maize fields will need to be drained you can not grow maize in wet fields ,it will just rot , and not cheap to convert over .

Yet another brainless idea  from  some desk  whaler  in the big city .

[Moonmoon]

3 hours ago, Brer Fox said:

Please don't apologise for disagreeing with me. I respect your opinion because you take the time to express your own view.

Unlike some other who just sit on this site half sozzled and criticize because that's all they know.

Thanks. Much respect to u too.