300,000 rai of rice farms in Buriram to be turned into sugarcane farms

[plopmeister 199]

It breaks my heart to see red shirts being used like this...

It is little more than payback to the rich elite in the area....Farmers have a free will to grow what they want when they want..

[bigbamboo 8,663]

Perhaps with the nation's rice industry wrecked, at least for the time being, they could make Thailand the sugar hub of ASEAN?

[Bodrules 70]

Doesn't look like a very good idea, looked at the 5 year trend on the ICE (NYC) commodity exchange raw sugar (#11 contract) is going for US$331 per short ton (US$364 metric tonne), prices have been declining since July 2010 from a peak of US$650 per metric tonne.

Data from here - http://www.indexmundi.com/commodities/?commodity=sugar&months=60

[Bkungbank 244]

Doesn't look like a very good idea, looked at the 5 year trend on the ICE (NYC) commodity exchange raw sugar (#11 contract) is going for US$331 per short ton (US$364 metric tonne), prices have been declining since July 2010 from a peak of US$650 per metric tonne.

Data from here - http://www.indexmundi.com/commodities/?commodity=sugar&months=60

BUt in 2010 price for 1 Kg sugar was 23.50 THB,

in 2013 price for 1 Kg sugar is 23.50 THB who pocket the extra??

[Robby nz 15,159]

Where I come from they no longer grow the same crop year after year as this drags all the nutrients out of the soil.

Rather they rotate crops as different crops use different nutrients.

Many have now started planting legumes between crops then plowing them in as they act as a fertilizer.

This wont work under the present rice purchasing scheme as the story is to get as many crops (tons) in as possible to take advantage of the pledging price.

Yes there does need to be diversification but it needs to be phased in in order that there is still an annual income coming from the land to sustain the farmer.

[indyuk 332]

Some wisdom in todays posts. Indeed the agri-commodity markets have be shifting and will continue to shift in response to continuing third world development and climate change.

Today it is not safe to be a market leader by volume of produce. Best policy for an agrerian economy is to diversify gradually until a basket of diverse high quality products is achived in a viable tonnage of each agri-product's commodity market,

Thailand's range of produce and products of Casarva, Chicken, Rice, Rubber, Suggar, Prawns, Eculiptus, Teak, and Mahogany, plus the numerous manufactured agri-culinary products of Thailand set a picture of a strong and diverse agri-economy.

There are also entrepreneurial oportunities. For exaple if Thailand does get stuck with a rice mountain of Rice it could be re-processed into another commodity, perrhaps Gasohol or sizing for paper mills for example.

If you're Thai be proud of this, if a foreign farmer be envious lol.

[tingtong 759]

A problem I see with this and changing to other crops is that rice is a short rotation crop ready for harvest in months and therefor bringing in income quickly yet every alternative except sweet corn is a long rotation crop.

So what are the farmers going to live on till the wait for the sugar cane to mature to harvest?

however lots of these to be converted rice fields are rain fed ( no water to irrigate), and as such only produce one harvest or to simplify: one payday for the farmers.

so, surviving is just the same in a way...

and if a small farmer has 5-10 rai land, ultimately it doesnt matter too much it is sugar or rice, non will make a decent living, for sure.

[Bodrules 70]

Doesn't look like a very good idea, looked at the 5 year trend on the ICE (NYC) commodity exchange raw sugar (#11 contract) is going for US$331 per short ton (US$364 metric tonne), prices have been declining since July 2010 from a peak of US$650 per metric tonne.

Data from here - http://www.indexmundi.com/commodities/?commodity=sugar&months=60

BUt in 2010 price for 1 Kg sugar was 23.50 THB,

in 2013 price for 1 Kg sugar is 23.50 THB who pocket the extra??

Processed sugar is a little more expensive, but the answer is, the processor and other middle men, but think yourself lucky, in the UK sugar is going for 39 baht the kg

[tingtong 759]

i am sure all Thai will happily pay 39thb for 1kg sugar....just give them UK salary first!!

[billd766 26,207]

Where I come from they no longer grow the same crop year after year as this drags all the nutrients out of the soil.

Rather they rotate crops as different crops use different nutrients.

Many have now started planting legumes between crops then plowing them in as they act as a fertilizer.

This wont work under the present rice purchasing scheme as the story is to get as many crops (tons) in as possible to take advantage of the pledging price.

Yes there does need to be diversification but it needs to be phased in in order that there is still an annual income coming from the land to sustain the farmer.

Back in 1959 during my last year at school on afternoon a week was set over for the senior year to learn about garderning and farming. One part was devoted to explaing all about crop rotation and every 4th year part of the land should be left fallow to recover. I didn't find it interesting at the time but it IS a good idea.

At home here we generally grow cassava though we have grown corn once or twice. The biggest problem around here in Khampaeng Phet is that there doesn't seem to be an agricultural college or anywhere to find advice on what to grow.

Add to that if you grow different crops there may not be a local market for them.

[Robby nz 15,159]

Saw the other day where a farmer, instead of filling paddy to grow fruit trees had planted the trees in large pipes, took this photo.

Thought it was a good idea, takes a lot less soil and good quality soil can be used.