The Thailand farming and cultivation thread

[usual suspect]

Yeah..Teak Door had a thread explaining the propagation n all that goes with it..or you simply
'buy-in'..already done..dunno how price of this method reflects on profit-margin/amount grown..??
(seems real good to think you set ya stall,cover with straw & could be harvesting days later)
The Thais always have their mushrooms in soups it seems...got to wean them onto frying them in
bacon-fat then pile them all between 2 slices of bread..ha-haa.

[Takiap]

I will throw the towel myself if things get so bad I have to work on a pig farm.

Yes, maybe you would throw in the towel, but maybe, just maybe, the man in question actually enjoys working a farm. I would gladly work a farm rather than sit in an office all day. I know because I've worked in an office before, and it was the worse job I've ever had. I've worked offshore as well for many years, and sure, it was okay and the money was good, but I would much rather work on a farm of my own, even if it meant a low income.

What appeals to some, may not appeal to all

[dozer]

I will throw the towel myself if things get so bad I have to work on a pig farm.

Yes, maybe you would throw in the towel, but maybe, just maybe, the man in question actually enjoys working a farm. I would gladly work a farm rather than sit in an office all day. I know because I've worked in an office before, and it was the worse job I've ever had. I've worked offshore as well for many years, and sure, it was okay and the money was good, but I would much rather work on a farm of my own, even if it meant a low income.

What appeals to some, may not appeal to all

Takiap

I totally agree with your point of view and actually the main reason he got into trouble was he was running a very profitable farm.

[poosmate]

reason he got into trouble was he was running a very profitable farm.

was arrested for working on his pig farm without a work permit

.

Profitable pig farmers would work within the law and are not forced to labour illegally.

[dozer]

Wow you are the clever one!

[deepee]

Buksida,
I'm going to make an assumption or two here but i am expecting you are not down south full time and you want to produce something with minimal inputs of time, effort and cash maybe.
You say that you have already coconuts and bamboo on your plot and both require little input ok. You say that the locals are getting into them too- therefore we can see a ready market exists for them .
Why not play on this existing situation but try out unusual varieties of the above or value add to what's already there on site?

[Takiap]

reason he got into trouble was he was running a very profitable farm.

was arrested for working on his pig farm without a work permit

.

Profitable pig farmers would work within the law and are not forced to labour illegally.

No matter how profitable your farm is, as a farang, you will not get a work permit to physically work on a farm. Yes, I'm sure the law allows you to own one, and even to manage one, but it's the same as with the bars. That is, you keep your hands off.

I know of one chap who is involved with contract farming (chickens) but is is wise enough to let his family run the show, but in the way he wants it done. It's only a few thousand birds at a time, but he takes in around 50,000 profit per month, which of course is enough for him and his family to live on. He is happy with that and so is his family, so why not?

Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention, but real farmers like to get their hands dirty rather than pretending to be a farmer.

[kendo]

How about rare breed chickens my old friend Ludo has these Dutch Barnevelder chooks and they are huge about 3 times the size of your normal pathetic looking Thai chook.
He perchased them from a German breeder in Buriram who apparently does very well out of venture.
I can find out more if you are interested.

Kendo.

[PeteC]

The first BGC to open in Thailand (Buksi's Giant Chickens) guaranteed to feed a family of 10. Pete

[STEVE G]

No matter how profitable your farm is, as a farang, you will not get a work permit to physically work on a farm. Yes, I'm sure the law allows you to own one, and even to manage one, but it's the same as with the bars. That is, you keep your hands off.

Yes, agriculture is one of the industries barred under the foreign business act.
Generally from what I've seen in Issan, if you're helping Thais to make money, you wont have a problem but if you start getting too profitable and making money off it yourself, you might well get into trouble.
I basically leave everything to the family but I've done the odd job and nobody cares. However, if I was to build something like a massive battery farm on my partners land and started living there, I'm sure someone would get upset.

[Spitfire]

The reason the successful pig farmer got into trouble is nothing more than good old jealousy/envy. They stabbed him in the back because they often can't stand success, especially from a foreigner in a field they consider as theirs', probably another local pig farmer IMO that shopped him, probably got a cut from the cops of what the foreigner paid to get off. Bitterness can sometimes run long and deep in the rural villages, even between the partners extended family, with everyone trying to get one up on one another in the pursuit of face and wealth. The village world can be very small really.

Some of the stories you hear from a village when you live there for a few years and you get into the nitty-gritty would turn your blood green about how callous they can be towards each other.

If you visit and have extended family etc then all is cool, once you start to swim around in their village world and they show/apply their local rules to you then it can be less than pretty sometimes and the game changes.

When you venture into their world then all previous bets are off. 'Watch your back Jack' is the order of the day in my experience if you are going to do that, start a business etc. Not in tourist/visitor La La Land now.

There are other ways to do it like making it appear that you do sweat FA and the extended family does it all like was mentioned by another poster with the chickens, right approach IMO.



Edit - Typos

[PeteC]

While I was eating one for breakfast (Australian variety), I thought that Avocados may be perfect for your land down there Buks. Seems the climate and soil are just right for one or two varieties. (see below link). I don't know how much fruit is produced per tree, per season, and how many cycles there are per year when fruit will grow? A few years of course to get the trees into production but it could be an easy to grow, valuable cash crop here.

A consumption tip I've learned recently. Don't buy many here at one time. They will all be soft enough to eat quickly, and all at once. Putting them into the frig just turns the meat brown in less than 24 hours. Pete

http://chestofbooks.com/gardening-horti ... -Soil.html

[poosmate]

Prcscct

A joke i heard about Avocados is that they are inly ripe for around fifteen minutes. Usually at 3am
Serious tip is: To speed the ripening of avocados place them with ripe bananas overnight. This can also work with other fruits - something to do with a gas released.

[buksida]

Never thought of avocados ... didn't think they were that popular with the locals! Mushrooms are currently the produce of choice, been doing a bit of research and it seems that there are two types that are relatively easy to cultivate providing you can get the spores.

[Nereus]

Never thought of avocados ... didn't think they were that popular with the locals! Mushrooms are currently the produce of choice, been doing a bit of research and it seems that there are two types that are relatively easy to cultivate providing you can get the spores.

I agree with you on that Buksida. Grow the things in a shed and you have complete control over the whole process. Do not know about the South, but in most areas the Government Department of Agriculture provides a free service and advice on all types of Agriculture. Maybe worth checking on.