Sugar cane farmer: Burning is necessary - Go ahead "jail us all!"

[Assurancetourix 17,725]

9 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

the OP has 1000 rai - he can afford to rent a harvester 

hell he can afford to buy a couple of them

 

Him yes,

but tens and even hundreds of thousands of other farmers who own or worse who are only shareclots on farms which they are not owners, they can not.

[brfsa2 379]

One alternative to reduce PM2.5 in the long term that is not talked much about is to reduce using E85 fuel (85% Ethanol) and E20 (20% ethanol).
Ethanol comes mostly from Sugarcane and Cassava, and a lot of the burning recently is from sugar cane farmers burning the cheap way.

Sugarcane price dropped drastically in the past years and farmers, as usual, always want more profit, so they just burn the crops after extraction.

 

Sources:

http://sugar-asia.com/thai-gov-3-phases-measures-against-pm-2-5-caused-by-cane-burning/

https://www.krungsri.com/bank/getmedia/9fb8527f-3235-4b71-a9e0-f389252426b0/IO_Ethanol_2017_EN.aspx

[brommers 1,848]

And boycott the products of Mitr Pol and other sugar producers.

[ExpatOilWorker 5,148]

1 hour ago, rvaviator said:

Do you know the cost ?

Apparently the right price:

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1135540-ban-of-sugar-cane-burning-enforced-this-year-really/?do=findComment&comment=14921624

[Ireland32 2,374]

2 hours ago, thequietman said:

If it isn't all handed to them and done for them ........... they are just not interested.

Laziness like I’ve never observed

[saengd 2,977]

The wife tells me there are now two prices for sugar cane offered by the government which includes a higher price where the cane has not been burned, seems like a good incentive to me. If that's true, what's this idiots problem!

[GarryP 5,116]

1 minute ago, saengd said:

The wife tells me there are now two prices for sugar cane offered by the government which includes a higher price where the cane has not been burned, seems like a good incentive to me. If that's true, what's this idiots problem!

The higher price is insufficient to offset labor costs so burning is still more profitable or at least no less profitable. 

[saengd 2,977]

6 minutes ago, GarryP said:

The higher price is insufficient to offset labor costs so burning is still more profitable or at least no less profitable. 

Thanks. But does the higher price really need to completely offset the entire cost of labor, at some point the moral and social value of not burning has a value.....for most people that is.

[Destiny1990 7,410]

What will happen to a tourist that keeps smoking sigarettes on a beach even after been warned by the police?

Well that should happen to him also.

Sugarcane farmers have money and big land what do we care about his profits? His hurting the health of so many !

[MikeN 1,066]

2 hours ago, Assurancetourix said:

As we say in the french army : " yakafaucon "

Used to criticize and make fun of people who offer unrealistic solutions to others and who remain vague on the means.

 

With what money will Thai farmers, who are mostly very poor, be able to afford machines worth several million baht?

NEWSFLASH ! Rice and corn were once only harvested by hand too, but most is done by "expensive" machines nowadays. This guy with 1000 rai of cane would be able to afford his own, other farmers could hire a machine and operator to harvest their crop just as my wife's family bring in a contractor for their rice crop.

[saengd 2,977]

1 minute ago, MikeN said:

NEWSFLASH ! Rice and corn were once only harvested by hand too, but most is done by "expensive" machines nowadays. This guy with 1000 rai of cane would be able to afford his own, other farmers could hire a machine and operator to harvest their crop just as my wife's family bring in a contractor for their rice crop.

No, contractor cost money,

 

Labour cost money,

 

Unleaded not expensive,

 

Can burn garbage too and promote mushrooms.

[GarryP 5,116]

49 minutes ago, saengd said:

Thanks. But does the higher price really need to completely offset the entire cost of labor, at some point the moral and social value of not burning has a value.....for most people that is.

You would have thought so, wouldn't you? Many of these farmers have children or grandchildren living close by and they are clearly damaging their health. So it is not as if their families are not impacted by the burning. I think it boils down to education and awareness. Many have been involved in agricultural burning (burning of stubble) since they were kids when their parents ran the farm. They were not aware then and not aware now how damaging the smoke is. There needs to be a massive education program in an attempt to make them aware of the damage they are causing.

 

However, farmers need to be given alternatives. Local cooperatives, district offices, etc. should invest in harvesting machinery (subsidies provided on the purchase by private cooperatives) which is then made available to local farmers for a price which is lower than the price of manual labor, schedules drawn up for use of the machines, etc. Also, they need to look into bringing more industry to the provinces so that those manual laborers will have employment once their labor is no longer needed on the farms.

 

Also the sugarcane processing plants need to be banned from processing burnt cane, with extremely heavy fines and closure for repeat offenders. 

 

On top of that Thailand needs to enter discussions with its neighbours and Thai sugarcane processing companies in those countries, so that action is also taken across the border.        

 

There is no single solution and it is really too late to fix the air this year.  But there is no reason why they can't start taking steps so that the situation is under control by next harvest season. 

[ramrod711 7,303]

5 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

You just can't help stupid can you.....off to jail for a long time, set an example, that might help the other stupids ?

I wonder if Bamphen has any family members with respiratory problems? The children accompany their parents and breathe this junk into their lungs, but hey, that's life.

[30la 2,027]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

 

An angry sugar cane farmer in the east of Thailand has hit out at being singled out and blamed for the 2.5 PM smog crisis. 

Angry about what? The truth is that you are unscrupulous criminals, for a handful of Baht you are ready to kill your families, all your neighbors and many other people, and you don't understand that you are also committing suicide!
Ask me? Yes! I would throw you all together in jail in the company of the managers of the sugar factories!
Now the general can show his leadership skills!

[rwill 1,409]

All the sugar cane fields I see in Ratchaburi they harvest mechanically without burning.  But once the fields are harvested they burn them.  Just north in Kanchanaburi I see the trucks there hauling cane that has been burnt.