Farmers urged to adopt large scale farming method

 

BANGKOK, 17 November 2016 (NNT) - The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives set up a farming efficiency center to teach farmers how to grow crops more effectively to boost their incomes. 

Speaking during a daily program ‘Thailand Moves Forward’, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Gen Chatchai Sarikulya said the center would help the farmers develop a better understanding on what types of crops they should grow based on climate and geographical factors for maximum benefits. 

The Minister also suggested that farmers adopt a large scale farming model where they share a plot of land within their own group and grow their own crops, believing this would collectively reduce production costs and increase their competitiveness. The private sector will also step in to help make their produce even more marketable. 

Thailand currently has around 600 large scale farming land plots and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is determined to increase the number by at least 400 more next year. 

Meanwhile, CP Thai Rice Company Limited Deputy Managing Director Trairat Udonsiyothin said he had made a deal with rice farmers where his company would buy their grains at 300 baht per ton if they meet the requirements. Trairat said the price the company offers to farmers is higher than other buyers in the country.

 

-- nnt 2016-11-17

Sounds a lot like a variation of share cropping. 

Most Thai farmers are small time farmers not agri - businesses.

21 minutes ago, jlwilliamsjr18 said:

Sounds a lot like a variation of share cropping. 

Lets not get to friendly remember one of the commandments. Thou shall not covet they neighbors wife or they neighbors ass or all that is they neighbors. No rubber planting lessons please. 

Meanwhile, CP Thai Rice Company Limited Deputy Managing Director Trairat Udonsiyothin said he had made a deal with rice farmers where his company would buy their grains at 300 baht per ton if they meet the requirements. Trairat said the price the company offers to farmers is higher than other buyers in the country.

 

Wow! 300 baht for a whole ton of rice. That's just 1 baht for 3.3 kg.

 

Of course, I assume that doesn't include processing. Does it cost more to process the rice than grow the rice?

 

If that rice is given the minimum processing, to keep it 'brown rice', it would be tremendous value; both nutritious and cheap.

Airy-fairy ideas for farmers from military generals seem to be pouring forth every few hours these last few weeks. Can one assume that agricultural science was part of their military training. 

300 Baht a ton ? surely a typo, the worst prices this year from the private sector was 6,000 Baht a ton

17 hours ago, soalbundy said:

300 Baht a ton ? surely a typo, the worst prices this year from the private sector was 6,000 Baht a ton

 

Yes. It must be a typo. 300 baht per ton is ridiculously cheap. Even 3,000 baht would be ridiculously cheap.

 

Here's an extract from the Bangkok Post:

Kneeling and sobbing before a top commerce ministry official, a Phichit farmer appealed to the government Sunday to help growers suffering from the fall in rice prices to 5,000 baht a tonne, the lowest level in decades.

I don't see much in the way of sharing land in my village, (except mine) but I do see a lot of sharing of Farm Equipment and Machinery, which obviously keeps the cost down.

 

So I don't see by sharing their land would create any added benefit to them unless the government is planning on giving them a whole bunch of extra land for free. The only way I know how to adopt a large scale farming operation is buying more land from a poorer farmer. But at a price of +100,000 Baht per Rai it takes a long time to ever break even. 

2 hours ago, VincentRJ said:

buy their grains at 300 baht per ton if they meet the requirements.

Really how generous of this good Samaritan.  I would be interested what requirements he wants for such a generous offer. F.O.B. his door no doubt. Sorry farmers the handwriting is on the wall. 

4 hours ago, VincentRJ said:

 

 

Wow! 300 baht for a whole ton of rice. That's just 1 baht for 3.3 kg.

 

Of course, I assume that doesn't include processing. Does it cost more to process the rice than grow the rice?

 

If that rice is given the minimum processing, to keep it 'brown rice', it would be tremendous value; both nutritious and cheap.

 

Guess that's what CP will do, sell it to europe as brown organic rice for a very high price...the farmers will all be angry when they hear about that.

 

Normal jasmin rice in a European supermarket costs around 100 baht i guess, for a kg. 

 

3 euro a kg in germany but you have to buy 25 kg, long grain white rice not even jasmin i guess.

http://www.chefkoch.de/forum/2,9,648138/Wo-kauft-Ihr-den-Reis-fuer-asiatische-Gerichte.html

 

the cheapest is cambodian rice they say, 20kg for 35 euro....

Edited November 17, 20169 yr by fruitman

Conversion to large scale farming is already in progress.

 

Offer small-hold farmers soft loans (that the government knows that the farmers can't pay back), using the farmer's land as collateral.  When the farmer defaults on the loan, take the farm and sell it to one of the agri-companies.  Private sales are not an option as buyers are pre-selected.

 

Read somewhere, on another thread, about increasing the production of 'green manure.'  Based on the words spewing from Bangkok, that production is also more than covered.

Edited November 17, 20169 yr by Stray

5 hours ago, fruitman said:

 

Guess that's what CP will do, sell it to europe as brown organic rice for a very high price...the farmers will all be angry when they hear about that.

 

Normal jasmin rice in a European supermarket costs around 100 baht i guess, for a kg. 

 

3 euro a kg in germany but you have to buy 25 kg, long grain white rice not even jasmin i guess.

http://www.chefkoch.de/forum/2,9,648138/Wo-kauft-Ihr-den-Reis-fuer-asiatische-Gerichte.html

 

the cheapest is cambodian rice they say, 20kg for 35 euro....

Cambodian Hom Mali costs in Germany 18 EUR per 20 Kg sack. Thai Hom Mali costs 34 EUR per 20 Kg in the same shop.

Maybe the Thai experts could read up on the Agricultural Revolution, which started in about 1750 in England and spread across Europe right up to 1918.

 

If they just quietly copy some of the ideas, they do not have to admit that they are taking advice from foreigners.

Translated.  Small farmer out; corporate farmer in.